Where Troubles Melt
by Cherylann Rivers
Summary: After a series of jewelry stores are robbed, Frank and Joe set out to find who is behind them. Their quest leads them to seek out the criminals, only to find themselves involved in an elaborate plot designed to enact revenge against the Hardy family.
1. Chapter 1

_I am so, so sorry for the delay in posting this story. Life has been very busy! This story follows "Make a Wish" and "Classified Secrets".Thus, even though you can certainly read this story in isolation, the plots build upon one another. WARNING-- there is a serious subplot regarding Callie, and Joe is still dealing with the repercussions of choosing Vanessa over Iola. The story is completed, so don't worry about a lack of updates. It has 30 chapters, FYI. I hope that you all enjoy it!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 1

"Well, you did it, bro!" exclaimed blonde, seventeen- year -old Joe Hardy to his older brother, Frank. "Can you believe it? Four long years and now it's all over. What will you do with all your time now that you're a big, bad college man?" He gave Frank a series of quick pats on his shoulder in congratulations.

The boys had just walked through the door of their home in Bayport after returning from the graduation ceremony at the high school. Frank, an accomplished senior, had won a number of awards and scholarships, and was on practically a full scholarship to Princeton University in nearby New Jersey. Joe knew that in a few short months, his dark-haired older brother would be leaving him behind to start life anew. Deep down, Joe was worried about losing the bond that he shared with his brother. They were more than brothers; they were best friends and partners in their investigative pursuits, and Joe had no idea what he would do without having Frank immediately nearby. However, he saw no reason to let Frank know that.

Frank just laughed at his brother's teasing. "Gee, Joe, I have no idea. I guess I'll relax, hang out, and finally get some peace and quiet away from you!" The sparkle in Frank's eyes indicated to Joe that he was only kidding, and he smiled in return.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, now I'll be a senior, so Bayport High better watch out!" Joe said, thinking of all the fun he'd be having next year in school. He'd managed to plan his schedule so that he was taking fairly easy, but interesting, courses next year. Despite facing a year without Frank, Joe planned to have a lot of fun. He counted on spending the year with his girlfriend, Vanessa Bender, his buddies, and his sports. With any luck, he'd be able to win some sort of scholarship to college for sports. He might never be a Princeton man, but he'd certainly make his parents and his brother proud of him.

Frank's voice brought him back to reality. "Joe, I have no doubt that Bayport High ought to watch out for you. I can just imagine what you'll be up to next year!" Frank finally removed his graduation gown and placed it neatly over the back of the kitchen chair. He then pulled out the chair and sat down. Joe sat next to him.

Frank looked over to his brother and shook his head. He, himself, couldn't believe that high school was over. It had certainly been a long and interesting ride. He had always enjoyed academics and managed to do quite well, but he loved sports and detective work just as much, both of which he had spent the past years dedicated to. He and Joe had managed to get involved in everything from finding lost kittens to chasing international terrorists to averting disaster and disarming bombs, both of which had been the scenario in their last case. Somehow, he couldn't get used to the idea of his normal life being any different, but he knew it was finally time to move on. And, although he was a bit nervous, Frank was also excited about the opportunities that lay before him.

"So, Joe, gonna miss me?" Frank asked, playfully.

"Nah," Joe replied, indignantly. "Besides, I'm sure you'll come visit a lot. Plus, without you, I'll be the real star of the baseball and football team. I've gotten rid of my competition!"

Frank rolled his eyes. "Of course. I had forgotten for a moment how selfless and humble you were. Forgive me."

Joe was about to respond when his parents and his Aunt Gertrude, who lived with them, came walking through the door. As usual, his aunt was chatting a mile a minute as she plopped herself down between the brothers.

"Frank!" she exclaimed, excitedly. "I was just telling your father what a WONDERFUL ceremony that was. I hollered out your name as soon as I saw you. I said 'that's my nephew' and everyone within earshot all the way around could hear me cheering!"

Frank suppressed a smile. "I'm sure they could, Aunt Gertrude."

"And do you know what else?" She continued without leaving Frank time to respond. "I also yelled for your friends. I met a lovely woman- what was her name? Oh, never mind- and I said 'that's my nephew's friend Phil, and that's Tony, and there's his girlfriend, Callie' and they were all so impressed with how many friends you had."

Joe snorted out loud, and his voice dripped with sarcasm. "Frank has friends? I didn't know that!"

"Joseph! That is inappropriate! This is your brother's graduation day. I mean, you're making a liar out of me. Tell him- tell your brother how loudly I was supporting him!"

"Gertrude," Fenton Hardy, the boys' father, cut in. "You were, indeed, quite vociferous. Somehow, I think Frank knows that. However, maybe we ought to let him have some breathing room now. I mean, we just got home…"

"Of course!" she replied. Then, just as suddenly, she yelled at Frank. "Frank Hardy! You left the house looking so handsome in your suit, and now look at you. What am I to do with you? I'll be right back!" With that, she headed into the other room.

All four Hardys looked at each other in amazement. Aunt Gertrude seemed to be a maelstrom blowing in with fury and exiting just as quickly. She was truly a wonder. Frank looked down at his navy blue suit and conservative tie and, at first, had no idea what it was to which his Aunt was referring. Then, he saw it. Joe had left his fleece baseball jacket on the back of the chair he was now sitting on. As was typical of Joe, it was crumpled into a ball and he hadn't bothered to remove all of the little pilfered cotton balls on it. Now, Frank' suit jacket was covered in these little white balls.

"Nice going, Joe," Frank said quietly to his brother, loud enough for him to hear but for his parents to miss.

"Oh, honey, maybe you should change. Be careful about leaving things lying around in the future, okay?" Laura Hardy spoke directly to Frank.

"Sorry," Frank mumbled, covering for his brother. Joe smiled. That was one of the things he would miss most about his brother—who would get him out of trouble in the future?

Fifteen minutes later, Frank was fully cleaned off with the service of Aunt Gertrude's lint brush. Joe laughed as his Aunt fussed affectionately, if somewhat irritatingly, over his brother.

Fenton, sensing that Frank was growing frustrated, interrupted. "So, son, have you any plans for this evening? We could all go out to dinner."

Frank looked up at his father. "Actually, Dad, I'm going to the Shaws'. Callie and I are going to dinner with her parents, but thanks for asking." Frank realized his mom was disappointed by the look on her face. "But, um, we could come over here later and have dessert or something," he added quickly.

Laura looked happier. "Oh, that'd be lovely! It'd be nice to see Callie as well."

Joe couldn't help but to add, "Tell Callie she definitely needs to eat some desert!"

Frank sighed in frustration. "You now, Joe, that really isn't necessary. Callie hasn't been feeling well lately—she's tired a lot. That's why she lost weight." Frank held back any further comment. Notoriously, Joe and his long-time girlfriend argued over silly things, but after their latest case, they seemed to be getting along better. And, Frank really was concerned about her. Callie happened to be beautiful, but Frank loved her for her good nature, impetuousness, and intelligence. He could really care less about how she looked. However, even he had noticed that, in recent months, she had a noticeable weight loss, and, although she kept insisting that she was fine, he wanted to make sure.

Joe felt bad almost immediately. "Sorry. I didn't mean anything. I hope she's feeling better."

"Yeah, me too. Don't you say a word to her about it, either, or I'll kick your…"

"Frank!" Fenton's strategic interruption startled Frank.

"Yes, Dad?"

"How IS Callie? I mean, you two are pretty serious. Has she decided where she's going to school yet?"

Frank paused. "Well, she got in everywhere she applied." He smiled, feeling proud of his girlfriend. People always misjudged her since she was pretty and popular. Few realized that she was right at the top of the class. He continued. "She was seriously considering Stanford and UCLA, but she may stick around here."

"UCLA?" Joe barged in. "Wow! You'd definitely break up then! That's all the way across the country. You'd never make that work."

Frank felt himself getting angry. "Look, Joe, we WILL make it work, okay? No matter what she decides to do. When you love someone, you find ways to be together. You know," he said, rising from the table, "Callie and I are a lot more serious than you think. We're more serious than a lot of people think! Excuse me. I have to get ready to go out."

Frank left the table and headed upstairs, leaving Joe staring, open-mouthed, at him.

"Geez," he muttered. "What's with him?"

Fenton sat next to Joe and put his arm around his son. "He'll be okay, Joe. He's probably just upset about leaving Callie, and your words touched a chord with him. Give him a little time. And- well, try to be a little more sensitive, okay? Put yourself in his position. How would you feel if something happened where you couldn't be with Vanessa?"

Joe sighed. He heard a phone ring in the distance. Suddenly it stopped. Frank must have picked it up. Turning to his father, Joe said, "You're right. I'll go apologize. I wonder what he meant about being more serious than we know about?"

"He's probably blowing off steam. Leave him be."

"Probably." Joe smiled at his dad, and then, taking a deep breath, he went to speak to his brother before he headed off to Callie's. Hearing Frank's voice on the phone, Joe waited for the conversation to finish. He hadn't intended on listening in; that just sort of happened.

"Yeah, I know," Frank replied into the receiver, laughing. Then, his tone changed. "Listen, I really want to do this. I'd like your help in picking it out. Cost is no object, really. My college money is mine now that I have all these scholarships."

Now, Joe was curious. He looked into Frank's bedroom, and saw him lying on his bed, talking. "Yeah, man. I want it to be really special. I mean, we've been together for four years. I just want it to really say "I love you', you know? I want to surprise her. I don't think she'll expect it at all."

Joe's eyes widened.

"I am totally sure. I guess it's time to go ring shopping! Won't everyone be surprised?!"

Joe gasped and covered his mouth in disbelief. Frank was getting engaged.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks to Iola Hardy and Missme 113 for your reviews! :)_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 2

About ten minutes later, a smiling Frank Hardy left his room, intent on going to see his girlfriend. He wasn't expecting, however, to see his brother standing outside his door on his way down the stairs.

"Yes?" Frank inquired, eager to begin to evening out. "Can I help you with something, Joe? I'm running a little late here."

Joe took a deep breath. This was definitely an awkward situation. He couldn't believe what he had just heard! Frank wanted to buy Callie a ring? He was only eighteen, and he was going to college. He wasn't ready to get married! What on earth was he thinking? He wanted desperately to ask his brother exactly what was going on, but he couldn't very well do that since he was, after all, intruding on Frank's privacy. So, he did exactly what he did NOT want to do. He did nothing. He stared at his brother, and he could utter no words. He felt totally stumped.

"Um, Joe? Look, I don't know what's with you tonight. I rarely ever see you at a loss for words! I have to go. I'll be back with Callie later and by then, maybe, the great gift of speech will come to you. Now, move, kiddo!" He bounded down the stairs, and Joe just shook his head in disbelief as he stared after him.

Frank arrived at Callie's less than fifteen minutes later. As he pulled into the familiar driveway, a wave of sadness came over him. How long would it be, after this summer, before he could see Callie again? For the past four years, she had been an integral part of his life. Whenever he needed someone, other than Joe, Callie was the one constant in his life. She really was much more than a girlfriend to him. She was his best friend.

That was why he wanted to do something special for her. Although Frank tried to push the thought to the back of his mind, he was very aware of the possibility that Callie might, in fact, go to college far away from him. And, as resolute as he had been with his brother about being able to make a long-distance relationship work, he really was worried about it. He couldn't imagine his life without Callie, but he wasn't naïve enough to think that it would be easy to stay together if they were separated.

With that idea in mind, he decided that if he couldn't ensure a totally secure future with Callie, he could at least solidify his past with her. Since he was lucky enough to earn substantial scholarships to college, he had a decent amount of money to play with that his parents had given him. That, along with his earnings from investigations, put him in a pretty decent financial situation. Frank decided to get Callie a really beautiful piece of jewelry to let her know how he felt and how much their four years together had meant to him. He had gone back and forth deciding what, exactly, to get her, and had finally decided on a ring. Callie had always loved rubies; she used to joke with him that she should have been born in July since the stone always "called to her." Finally, Frank had the opportunity to get her a ruby ring, and he was excited about surprising her with it. Tony Prito, one of his good friends and a fellow graduate, knew all about Frank's idea, and they were planning on going tomorrow to choose a ring from one of the nicest jewelry stores in Bayport, Yeats Jewelers. No price was too high to make her smile one last time before they left for college. He planned to make this a summer to remember and then, in August, right before school started, he'd surprise her. He couldn't wait.

Callie opened the door before Frank even had a chance to knock.

"Hey, honey! Don't you look handsome tonight?!" she said, and stepped out to give him a hug.

Frank returned her hug, and gave her a quick kiss in greeting. As she stepped back, Frank was again hit with a wave of sadness. She looked so beautiful with her soft brown eyes and long, golden-blonde hair. And that smile- she was always smiling, no matter how bad things got. What would he do without her?

It took him a minute, but at last he answered her. "Well, Shaw, you don't look too bad yourself!" he quipped.

"We made it!" Callie exclaimed happily, and gave him a sign for a high-five.

Frank laughed and slapped her hand in return. "Yeah, we sure did!" He gave her an impulsive hug, and then took her hand, where they went in to see her parents.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Callie asked. "I mean, we are the official grads! This upcoming weekend should be so much fun! Phil's having a party, and so is Liz, and…"

"Hey!" Frank joked, cutting her off. "I thought I might spend some time alone with you in the midst of all these parties you have planned!"

"Oh- of course we will, silly! Sorry if I overbooked us."

"That's okay, Callie. Whatever you want to do…"

"Of course! That's how it should be!" she joked back.

Frank rolled his eyes. "Yes, ma'am! Anyway, I thought that, after dinner, we'd head over to my house for a little while. I think my mom feels a little slighted that I'm ignoring her on graduation day. She has some big dessert planned or something. Is that okay?"

"Sure! Dessert is always good!" Callie said with a smile.

"Speaking of which, how are you feeling? Are you getting your appetite back? I know you've been a little under the weather." Frank decided to broach the subject, since he had been concerned about Callie's health, but hadn't wanted to make the situation worse by asking her too much about it. He knew that her parents had been on her case about her weight loss, and he wasn't about to add to her agitation.

Frank noticed that her grin fell immediately. "Oh. Yeah. I… I think I need to talk to you about something in a little while. Later. Okay?" She looked upset.

"Is everything okay?" Frank questioned her, concerned.

"Sure- yeah. I mean, it will be." Callie tried to perk up. "Frank? Let's just have a nice night together. Come on." She squeezed his hand. "We've earned it."

Frank looked at her doubtfully, but agreed, for her sake. "As long as you tell me later what it is, Callie."

She met his eyes. "I will."

Frank and Callie enjoyed a wonderful meal at a fine restaurant and a nice evening out with her parents, with whom Frank had always gotten along very well. Afterwards, they headed back to the Hardys.

At dinner, everyone joked around and laughed. Everyone, that is, except for Joe Hardy. He tried to mask his shock, but every time he looked at his brother, he couldn't believe that he would be getting married. And Callie? Well, if she knew, she wasn't letting on. Joe had to say SOMETHING to Frank, and soon.

"You okay Joe?" Frank asked, laughing at something Callie had just said.

"Huh? Ah, yes. I guess I just zoned out for a second."

Frank laughed again. He said, "That's probably because you ate the three pieces of pecan pie that mom made and it's clouding your mind! A sugar rush, maybe?"

Joe had to grin at that. "Yeah! Speaking of which- mom? Do you have any more? YUM!"

Laura Hardy shook her head in amazement. "Where do you put it all Joseph? One day your metabolism will catch up to you and then you'll regret this!"

"Mom," Joe replied, feigning hurt. "Can't you see that I'm fighting my battle with anorexia? I'm just- well, winning it!"

Callie cracked up at that. "You are a _success story_, Joe!"

Joe would have made a comment back to Callie about weight when he caught himself. Vanessa had told him to never, ever joke with a woman about her weight, even if he was just teasing. He had made that mistake once with Vanessa, and he wound up paying dearly for it. It had cost him three flower deliveries in one week, two dinners, and a nice necklace. That had set him back about two months in his Play Station game collection! More than that, though, he noticed that Callie had barely touched her dessert, and he made a mental note to tell Frank to check on her to make sure everything was all right. He loved to bicker with Callie, but he liked her, too. She had proven herself to be a loyal and good friend, and once you were on Joe Hardy's good side, you generally stayed there. Generally.

Finally, Frank got up. "Okay, guys. I'm taking Callie home now. I'll be back- um, later." Frank had been about to announce a prompt return when he remembered that he had to speak with Callie. With a quick wave, he and Callie headed out the door.

At her house, in the driveway outside of the car, Callie leaned up to give him a kiss. "'Night!" she said softly. "Thanks for everything."

"Um, Callie?" Frank asked. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

She looked innocently at him. "Happy graduation?"

"No," Frank replied, a little more sternly than he had intended to. "You said that you were going to tell me what's been bothering you. What's up? I'm not leaving until you tell me."

Callie leaned back against the car, and fought back the lump in her throat. No, she hadn't forgotten to talk to Frank. She had purposefully tried to avoid it. Callie blinked back tears as she fought the tightness that was beginning to form in her chest. Frank, seeing her sudden change in mood, immediately reached out for her, and hugged her gently against him. "What's wrong?" he asked, quietly. "Why won't you tell me?"

Callie pulled back from him, and met his eyes. She had to do this, and she had to hold herself together, for his sake. Taking a deep breath, she managed to find her voice. "Frank? What I have to tell you isn't easy. It's..." She struggled for words. "It's really difficult actually. I'll make it simple, though."

Frank, concern etched in his deep brown eyes, said only "Go on" as he continued to clasp her hand.

"You know how I've been sick lately? How I've been really tired, and I've lost weight, and I've gotten those terrible migraines a lot?"

"Yes." Frank bit his lip.

"Well, a few weeks ago, when we were in Florida on your last case, I got really sick, and I went to the hospital to get checked out. The doctor there… he… he found a mass, a lump, as a result of a routine CAT scan, on the back of my head."

Callie tried to keep her voice from breaking.

Frank felt his heart beat a little faster. "What? What are you saying?"

Callie swallowed hard, and tried not to tremble. She knew she was losing the battle when she looked into Frank's eyes and saw the fear there. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she knew she had to protect him, but she also had to be honest.

"Frank," she began, noticing the quivering in her voice, but trying to control it. "The doctor says that mass could be benign, but based on my symptoms, it could also be…" She paused, finding her inner strength. "Cancer."

Frank felt his heart drop. His moth fell open, but he closed it with an audible snap. This couldn't be happening! Not now, not ever, not to Callie. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but he was trying to deal with the implications of her words at the same time. No words came to him. He looked into her eyes. Why- why wasn't she falling apart? How could she not cry, scream? He felt himself holding back tears of his own, and tried desperately to be strong for her. He searched for the right words, but Callie pre-empted him.

"Frank?" she said to him, gently touching his face with her hand. "It'll be okay, no matter what the doctor says." Callie tried to convince herself of her own words. She needed to believe them. She simply had no other choice. "I… I need to make an appointment to get a needle biopsy. That'll at least give the doctors a starting point. I was planning on going tomorrow. They say the results take about a week. Can you- can you go with me?"

Frank gazed at her. Her eyes held a pleading quality that her voice managed to hide. Fighting back his own emotions, Frank reached out for her and held her tightly. "Of course I'll go with you. I'll be with you every step of the way."

Callie, resisting the urge to remain there in the moment, broke free of Frank arms. She met his eyes, and smiled, weakly. "I just have one request."

"Anything you want," Frank replied earnestly.

"Please, PLEASE don't tell anyone about this. Not even Joe. I need to find out the results first and deal with it before people start asking me a million questions. I... I don't think I could deal with that. Promise me."

Frank had no choice. "I promise." Suddenly, the need to get Callie the ring became more important than ever to him. He HAD to do something, anything to make her happier. He made a quick mental note to go out the day after tomorrow with Tony, that upcoming Friday, and get it for her. He knew that concentrating on the ring was the wrong thing to do, but he couldn't wholly take in Callie's words- not yet.

"And remember," she said, smiling softly, "It could be benign. Everything will be okay."

Frank, amazed at her strength, forced a smile in return. "That's right. No need to panic yet. It'll all work out."

"It'll be okay," Callie repeated. They both knew the other was lying.

"Don't tell."

"I won't."

Callie, took a deep breath and held back tears. "High five?" she asked, drained, weakly holding up her hand.

"High five," Frank replied, gently touching her hand.

He didn't let go.


	3. Chapter 3

T_hanks to Missme113 and to Franknjoe for your reviews on the last chapter. At least some people are reading! :)_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 3

Friday morning, Frank Hardy opened his eyes and looked at the clock. It was 9:00. He groaned. Normally, Frank would have been up, showered, and exercised already, but this morning, it was all he could do to actually rise from his bed. Somehow, he wasn't enthused about getting up, because starting his day meant that he'd have to think about his troubles, and that meant thinking about Callie.

The previous day, he had gone with her to the doctor's office. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut remembering it, and tried to block it out. Sitting on the examining table, Callie had tried so hard to be brave and to make small talk. When the doctor had come in, he had been curt and abrupt, seemingly unsympathetic to the young woman before him. He wasn't mean, exactly; he was just matter-of-fact. Yes, Callie could have cancer. It was highly probable. No, they wouldn't know for a week or so. Frank had felt himself getting angry and wanting to knock some sense into the doctor, but he couldn't; he had to hold it together for Callie.

And so, as the doctor inserted needle upon needle into the mass at the back of Callie's head, it had broken his heart to watch her struggling not to cry. More times than he cared to remember, he had given her tissues, and watched as she blotted her eyes. He felt helpless, and he hated that feeling. She had been emotionally distraught after leaving the office with him, and though he had tried to comfort her, she just wanted to be alone. Fighting his instinct to protect her, he had honored her request. He hadn't spoken with her yet today.

Frank forced himself to get up and to get dressed, thinking of Callie the whole time. The one thing he needed to do today was to buy her the ring. _Well,_ he thought sadly, _at_ _least I can do something to cheer her up—a little._ He had given Tony a call the other night, and he had agreed to meet Frank at 10:00 at the Hardy home. Frank made the decision to give Callie the ring immediately—at this point, there was no sense waiting. Tony had been curious about Frank's sudden change of plans, but he had gone along with it without question. Good old Tony.

Downstairs, Frank realized he had about fifteen minus left before Tony was due to arrive and he thought he'd make himself some breakfast. As he entered the kitchen, Joe walked out of it and almost ran him over.

"Whoa!" Frank called out, surprised. Joe was never up this early. "Where's the fire?!"

Joe looked at his big brother, who had been unusually quiet yesterday. He wanted to talk to him, but he decided that now probably wasn't the best time. "Hey, Frank. I'm off to see Vanessa. We're going to the beach. Want to come?"

Frank looked at his brother, who was decked out in bright blue shorts and a yellow tee-shirt. "I guess I should have known that. No, thanks. Have a good time," he responded, quietly.

"Are you okay, Frank? You were quiet yesterday. I- um- was wondering if I could talk to you later about something." Joe hoped his way of slipping in a conversation would achieve its desired effect without seeming too obvious.

Frank sighed. Just what he needed-- more problems. He could tell by the tone in Joe's voice that he wasn't joking around. Frank replied, "Sure, yeah."

Joe smiled. He knew he'd be able to talk Frank out of his ridiculous idea about marriage. He had probably just been caught up in the moment, like his father had said. Suddenly, he felt a whole lot better about everything. "So, bro, where're you going today? We're all going to Chet's later tonight for a barbecue. He tried to call you yesterday, but he couldn't get you. Actually, he couldn't get Callie, either. I guess that makes sense. Were you together?"

Frank answered, somewhat more curtly than he had intended to, "Yeah. Look, Joe, have a nice time. I'll try to see you later. Tell Chet 'hi' if I don't make it."

"Why wouldn't you come?" Joe asked, puzzled.

"I--I just might not. We'll see. I have to do something very important later," Frank managed.

Now it hit Joe-- the proposal! It couldn't be this soon- could it? He panicked. "Like what? What do you have to do?"

Frank looked at Joe like he was crazy. "Well, I have to see Callie, and take care of some things. I planned a surprise for her—it's kind of personal." He looked apologetically at Joe.

Joe tried to be calm. "Frank- you'd tell me if there was anything that I should—know about—right? I mean, we don't really keep important things from each other. Like, you know, especially any life altering info…" His voice trailed off.

Frank's face grew pale, and Joe saw the reaction instantly. "Joe? I tell you most things about what I can. However, some things are meant to be told later. Life throws you a lot of surprises. You just have to trust me that I'm doing the right thing."

"Oh, Frank…" Joe began, but was cut off.

"I don't know what you know, Joe, or HOW you know it. But I'm doing what I HAVE to do- I have no choice. If you were in my position you'd do the same thing. I really can't talk about it."

Joe's head was spinning. What did Frank mean, _if you were in my position?_ Was Callie... Joe could barely think about it… _pregnant_? But she was so thin! Maybe… Joe had no idea. He felt the breath sucked out of him.

"What about college?" he managed. "What will you do? What will Callie do?"

Frank was taken aback. So, Joe DID know about Callie. But how? Callie had specifically said not to tell him. Still, it was apparent that he knew. In a weird way, Frank almost felt relieved. He needed to talk to someone about this.

"I don't know Joe. Let's hope it's not out of the question. Just pray that it works out."

Joe looked at him. Was Frank losing his mind? Why would he pray for this to be a success?

Just at that moment, the doorbell rang. Frank looked at his brother an instant longer before begging him, "Joe- don't say a word. Callie will tell people, or I will, when we can. It's really a secret. I'll explain more later, okay?"

Joe stammered, "W... where are you going now?"

Frank looked him in the eye. "To the jewelry store. I have to do this today."

"TODAY?!" Joe exclaimed, shocked.

"Yeah. Today. The sooner the better."

"Is it that bad?" Joe asked, fearing the worst. "And why does Tony know?"

"It's bad Joe. I never thought his would happen. As for Tony, he doesn't know the whole story, only about the ring, which I've been planning for awhile."

The doorbell rang again.

"Listen, Joe, I have to go. Remember, don't talk and start trouble for any of us." With those words, Frank left the room, and walked out of the house with Tony. Joe, alone with his thoughts and utterly confused, sank to the dining room floor and sat down in shock. This couldn't be happening.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks so much for all of the reviews! I promise, the chapters DO get longer. The story was written years ago, when I was just beginning to "get into my groove" as a writer! Red-- glad to see you buddy. I'll catch up with you VERY soon! Miss you! Iola-- yes, there is a mix-up-- I think it'll just continue for a while, Kind of ironic that they're both trying to be honest! Eleni-- thank you for your offer. If you PM me, I can fill you in on some things myself! :) Amblewat-- As always, iIappreciate you reading. Missme113-- your reviews are always so consistent. Thanks a million. For anyone else, thank you for reading!_

_There will be a new chapter each day!!!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 4

Frank and Tony arrived at Yeats Jewelers around 10:30 that morning. As they entered, Tony joked around with Frank.

"Buddy," he said, jovially, "If you and Callie ever break up, I'll date you! Promise to buy me expensive jewelry, and your wish will be my command."

Despite his frazzled mindset, Frank laughed. "Tony, man, you frighten me a little sometimes."

Tony smiled, then answered, "Well, you have to admit, this is gonna set you back some bucks. Are you sure you don't want to partially finance my education with all of this money?"

Frank responded, "Tony, when I hit the lottery, you'll be among the first to know, I promise. I'll hook you up."

"Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say. Frank Hardy, Princeton man- remember the little folk - namely me- when you make your first million."

"As long as you promise me a lifetime supply of that pizza of yours!" Frank joked back. Tony ran Mr. Pizza in the mall, and was famous for his double cheese creations.

"Deal," Tony replied. "So tell me, seriously. If you and Callie get married some day, how are you gonna top this ring?!"

Frank sighed. "Tony, marriage is the last thing on my mind right now. Besides, the ring will be expensive, but not THAT expensive. Good lord!"

Tony squinted at Frank. "Well, it could happen, you know. You and Callie have been together for a long time."

Frank fought back his emotions. "I hope we'll be together for a lot longer."

Tony, missing the irony of Frank's words, just grinned. "Well, okay then! Let's do this. We'll split up. You take the right and I'll take the left."

Frank stared at him. "Tony, this isn't a stakeout. It's a jewelry store! How many ruby rings can they have?"

Tony, blushing, nodded. "True, true. That's why you're going to Princeton, and I'm not."

"Get out of here!" Frank laughed, as the two headed to the jewelry counter.

Almost forty-five minutes later, Frank purchased the ring. It WAS expensive, but he didn't care. Tony had actually found it first. It was a beautiful round ruby ring, surrounded by small diamonds. The moment Tony had picked it out, Frank knew it was the one. He inadvertently smiled thinking about how Callie would react to it. It was exactly what she had always described as "the perfect ring."

Looking around, Frank realized that a lot more people must have come in when he had been so intently looking at the rings. _Well,_ he thought silently, _I have to remember to be more alert. I didn't realize what a daze I could fall into sometimes_. As he and Tony turned around, preparing to leave the store, there was a loud crashing noise as glass was shattered. Frank instinctively ducked, as did Tony. He heard some women screaming. What he did NOT hear, though, was an alarm.

Seconds later, two masked gunmen entered the jewelry store. They were dressed all in black, and held rifles in their hands. Everyone froze.

"Get down! Everyone- Down on the floor!!!" One of the men was shouting. Frank wanted to try and stop them, but he realized how foolish that would be. He dropped the ring on the counter and, slowly, he dropped to the floor like everyone else. He kept a close eye on what was going on around him. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Tony, who was trying his best NOT to look at anything going on.

"Now stay still, and no one gets hurt!" One of the gunmen grabbed a little girl and Frank watched in horror as she sobbed for her mother. The gunman held the girl close and kept his rifle trained on her.

Frank turned his neck to the side. He had investigated enough crimes to know the general modus operandi for bank robberies. The safe was in the back. Usually, there was a silent alarm that could be triggered. These guys generally got caught. He hated to see innocent people involved though, and he tried valiantly to think of a plan to save the little girl.

However, the robbers did not go to the back, nor did they command that all the jewelry counters be emptied. Rather, they stared at the terrified clerks and made one demand. "The rubies. Clear all the rubies. Now!" One man went over to the jewelry counter with a black bag and followed the clerk behind the counter. Quickly, with shaking hands, she emptied the counter of the rubies, including the ring that was sitting on top of the counter, where Frank had left it.

Minutes later, guns still trained on everyone, they scurried out of the store, pushing the little girl back in before leaving. Frank was shocked that he still could not hear police sirens.

Slowly but surely, people began to get up. Some ran out of the store, others remained in shock. Tony turned to Frank. "Wh.... what are you gonna do?" he asked his friend, still shaken from the events of the past few minutes.

"I don't know," Frank replied evenly. "What kind of thief would break into a jewelry store, steal only rubies, ignore all of the other open jewelry counters, and not attempt to break into the back safe? And why aren't the police here? It doesn't make sense."

"Let's just get out of here," Tony squawked. He was used to Frank's logical thinking and powers of deduction, but he wanted to leave, and now. There was no way he was going to hang around if these guys came back.

A few minutes later, Frank finally heard sirens. He wanted to stay and check it out, but he looked at Tony's terrified face and, reluctantly, decided to leave.

As they headed to Tony's car, Tony finally spoke. "Man, aren't you glad that's over with? I never want to think about that again."

When Frank didn't respond, he looked at his friend. "Frank? Did you hear me? I said I want to forget all about this."

Frank turned to him as he opened the passenger door and was about to get in. The look of resolve on Frank's face was not one that Tony could miss. Tony felt uneasy. "Frank?"

"Actually, Tony, I plan on getting back here as soon as I can to check this out," Frank answered.

"Man, are you crazy?! Those guys almost killed that little girl! Leave it alone. Have a nice summer, without any cases. This is your last chance to relax. " He got in the car.

Frank got in the car after him. "I can't leave it alone, Tony. They took Callie's ring. I plan on getting it back."

Tony shook his head in wonder and amazement at Frank, and started the car.

They headed home.


	5. Chapter 5

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 5

At Chet's house later that evening, Joe Hardy was sitting quietly at a picnic table in the backyard. To most people, he would have appeared perfectly content. However, Vanessa noticed immediately that he wasn't acting like his normal self.

"Joe? Are you alright?" she asked him quietly. Normally, Joe would have been out playing volleyball or badminton with the rest of his friends, or dancing and clowning around. At the very least, he would have had a full plate of food. It wasn't hard for Vanessa to see that he was acting out of the ordinary.

Sheepishly, he turned to her. "Sorry, Van. I guess I'm just a little pre-occupied right now. Was it that obvious?" He hadn't meant to bring Vanessa or anyone else down, but he simply couldn't concentrate on having fun, knowing what his brother was up to.

She smiled at him, and placed her hand over his. "Well, it's obvious to me, but I don't think others would notice." She looked around, and then turned back to him. "Is there anything you want to talk about? I mean, we could chat here, or go back to my place. Whatever you'd like to do."

Impulsively, Joe leaned over and kissed Vanessa's cheek. "I wish I could tell you, Vanessa, but I really can't. Not now. Would you be mad-- if I headed back to my place? I'm not really in the mood to socialize tonight."

"Sure, hon, anything you want," Vanessa answered him. "I understand."

Joe looked into her eyes and gave her a tender smile. "You're the best, do you know that?" he said softly to her. He watched as she smiled and blushed slightly. He meant it, too. Vanessa was a real rarity. She was always there to listen to him and to offer him advice, but she never pressured him to talk when he couldn't. More times than he could remember, Vanessa's ability to let him cool off had saved him a lot of agitation and trouble. He was reminded again of how much he loved her.

"Ahem."

Joe and Vanessa found themselves looking up in the direction from which the noise had come. Joe felt his heart beat a little quicker in nervousness as he looked at Iola Morton, Chet's sister and his ex-girlfriend, about whom he still cared very much. Although they weren't together any longer and the split was amicable, he still felt a bit awkward in her presence, especially in situations where he was also with Vanessa.

It was Vanessa who spoke first. "Oh, hi Iola," she said in a friendly voice without the least bit of malice. Joe shook his head in wonder at the amount of class Vanessa consistently demonstrated. "I'll let you speak with Joe. It's nice to see you again." She stood up to leave.

Iola found herself swallowing back the lump in her throat. Although she had broken up with Joe, the truth of the matter was that she still loved him, very much. She had known, though, that he was in love with Vanessa, and in order not to hurt him, and to ensure that he hadn't been with her out of guilt, she had pre-empted a break-up, and had been secretly heart-broken when he had chosen Vanessa over her. She refused to let Joe know any of this, however, and was trying to deal with the pain on her own. Still, when she looked into his bright blue eyes, it felt like time had gone back, and the wound was as fresh as ever.

Putting on a forced smile, she tried to sound a lot more chipper than she really was. "No, no, Vanessa. Don't leave. I just wanted to give Joe a message."

Joe raised his eyebrows. "I have a message?"

Iola nodded. "Yeah, your brother called. I don't know why Frank isn't here, but he apologized. I guess he's with Callie, since she's not here, either. In any event, he asked for you to come home as soon as you could. Apparently, earlier today there was a robbery of Yeats Jewelers in town, and I think Frank was somehow involved. He didn't give me a lot of info, but he did say he wanted to talk to you as soon as possible about it. So- um- I guess you can call him or just go home."

Joe was surprised. Frank was involved in a robbery? Bayport was one of the safest places to live that he could think of. "Is Frank all right?" he asked, standing up.

"He's fine," Iola replied softly.

Joe let out a breath he had just been holding. "I… I guess I'll head home then." He looked apologetically at Iola. "I hope you don't mind I'm cutting out early. Tell Chet I'm sorry. I…" He stumbled for words. "I guess I'll talk to you soon. Can you call Frank back and tell him I'm on the way?"

Iola bit her lower lip, and then nodded. "I did already, Joe. I knew you'd go right home. Good luck." With that, she turned away.

Joe felt sad. Iola still knew him so well, and he couldn't help but to get the feeling that despite their friendly exchange, there were still a lot of unresolved issues. Still, he couldn't worry about them now. He turned to Vanessa, but she just reached over and gave him a hug. "Well, you were going anyhow," she quipped. "Go ahead. Someone'll give me a ride home later. I hope everything is okay."

Giving her a quick kiss, he replied, "Me, too," before heading to his car.

Less than twenty minutes later, Joe arrived at his house and rushed through the kitchen door. At once, he saw Frank sitting at the kitchen table with their father, who was also, by trade, a well-known private investigator. On more than one occasion, the boys turned to their father for advice. Sometimes, as on their last case, they worked as a team and their cases overlapped. Joe could only assume from the distraught look on his brother's face and the serious one on his father's that they were talking about the robbery. He was correct.

"What's going on, Frank?" he asked, sitting next to his dad at the table. "I got here as soon as Iola gave me the message that you called."

"I think you did the right thing, Son," Fenton replied. "Frank was involved in a robbery today. I think he should tell you about it."

Over the next fifteen minutes or so, Frank related everything that had happened earlier today. Joe was amazed at his brother's timing, or lack thereof. This DID seem to be an unusual case, totally out of the norm for a heist of any import. At the conclusion of Frank's story, Joe let out a low whistle. "Well, Frank, it seems like we have a case here. Just be thankful, though, that you weren't hurt."

Fenton looked at his eldest son. "I'll second that."

"So what do you think, Dad? I assume that Frank filled you in before I got here. Any suggestions?" Joe asked his father.

"Actually, yes," Fenton replied. "Joe, just before you got here, I was about to ask Frank to come down to my office with me. As soon as Frank told me what happened, I became suspicious. Come down. I'll tell you why."

Joe looked at Frank and shrugged. He noticed that Frank appeared distracted, and made a mental note to talk to him privately. The brothers followed their father to his office, walking past their aunt Gertrude, who, tight-lipped, stared after them. Notoriously, aunt Gertrude did everything in her power to dissuade her nephews from getting involved in cases, no matter how many times they had proven capable of handling themselves. She obviously suspected they were on another case now.

Unable to resist the opportunity to tease his aunt, Joe smiled brightly and said, "Auntie! Dad needs our help vacuuming in the office. We're calling it the 'case of the determined dust balls'!"

"Joseph!" his father replied sternly.

Joe laughed, leaving his aunt behind with an outraged expression on her face.

In the office, Frank and Joe took a seat on the couch as their father booted up the computer. He turned to them. "Boys, obviously, you'll need to speak to the police to see what they found out about today's robbery. However, there's something you should know, although I can't say for certain if this has anything to do with it."

Frank met his father's eyes. "What, Dad? Anything would be a help at this point."

Fenton exhaled slowly. "As you know all too well, I've been busy with this terrorist group investigation for awhile." Joe nodded. Their last case had involved the very group about which their father was speaking. "So, I haven't had much time to spend on other matters. When Frank told me about the unusual nature of this case- it took place in daylight, there was no attempt at a safe break- in, the thieves only wanted rubies- clearly, that sparked my interest."

"Do you know of ruby thieves?" Joe asked excitedly.

Fenton looked startled, then laughed. "Of course not, Joe! If I did, the case would be fairly simple, wouldn't it?"

Joe blushed, and mumbled, "I guess so." He hated sounding stupid, but sometimes his emotions got the better of him. Actually, that happened a lot.

Fenton continued. "What I was going to say is that almost four years ago, there was a major case that I cracked involving robberies that were going on in the entire New York area. Granted, these followed the more usual patterns, but they always took place in daylight, which is unusual. Anyway, these guys were very difficult to follow. They always took a hostage as well, usually a small child, but, thankfully, no harm ever came to the child."

"That sounds a lot like what happened today," Frank said, and Joe was surprised at the intensity of Frank's voice as he hung onto each word coming from their father.

"Yes, that's what I thought," he responded.

"But, Dad, you said that you cracked the case," Joe added, still not sure of where this was going.

Fenton sighed. "I did, son. There were four people involved, and they became very rich and were successful until I was able to get them by discovering their pattern. Working from Buffalo down, each town that they hit was effectively one hour later than the next one, and 45 miles apart. These guys are amazing—they're very smart, specialists in computer systems and fine jewelry. By breaking the pattern, we were able to catch them."

Frank asked at once, "So they're in jail now. Hoe does that affect this case?"

"Because, son, they're not. Two years ago, all four escaped from a maximum security prison by rigging alarms and jamming computer systems. There was a near riot as other prisoners attempted escape. Two of the men, Chris Ramses and Shelley Butler, died in the attempt. Ramses was known as "the wizard" because of his genius with computers. The second, Butler, was a literature scholar. He'd often mastermind plans based on ideas he got from the classics. Interestingly, both bodies of the men were burned beyond recognition when some of the other prisoners started fires to serve as a smokescreen. Several other prisoners died in the same fashion. They only identified the men by the jewelry that they wore- gold medallion pendant necklaces. Let me show you what I'm talking about."

With that, he typed in a code on his computer, and the pictures of Ramses and Butler and two other men came up. Frank stared at the picture, with Joe peering over his shoulder. All four seemed very average looking and didn't appear to have any distinguishing characteristics, at least from the picture he was looking at. They all appeared to be of average height, but Ramses and Butler were dark haired, and Wilkins and Smith were fair. Other than that difference, they looked totally normal.

"Okay, so what happened to the other two?" Frank then questioned.

"That's the thing. We don't know. They were never found. Their names are Robert Smith and Jeremy Wilkins. Smith is a whiz on computers as well, and Wilkins was an architecture buff. All four are ivy league graduates. Well, they were. I guess they decided a life of crime was more rewarding. They were never found. I never would have thought of them again, since I worked with many others for six months and found no clues. But – this case just reminded me of them for some reason."

Joe couldn't resist quipping to his brother, "Ivy League? Makes you rethink Princeton, huh?"

Frank shot him a dirty look, and Joe immediately became quiet.

"Boys, there IS one more thing that you should be aware of." Fenton faced his sons with a serious expression on your face. "When I brought in the men to be charged, they were angry- very angry. They had succeeded for so long, they thought they were invincible. Upon their sentencing, they swore revenge on me and my family, and promised that if they were ever to escape, they'd come up with the world's most amazing heist and, along the way, enact their revenge. Of course, I didn't think anything of it, BUT if this is the same group, they're probably even more enraged now that their two friends have been killed. I can't ask you not to take the case, boys, or even tell you that this has anything to do with it, but I can tell you to be very careful." He looked Frank and Joe in the eyes. "Because if it IS them, boys, they're out to cause a lot of trouble."

Fenton went to leave his office. "Keep me abreast of what's happening. Maybe I can help." He disappeared behind the door, which he shut behind him.

Joe turned slowly to his brother. "What do you think? Do you want to take this case?" Personally, Joe had been forward to relaxing, but he had to admit the case held his interest. As he looked at the expression on Frank's face, he knew the answer before Frank opened his mouth.

"Yes. I need to take the case, Joe. If you don't want to help, that's fine. But like I told you before, I need to do this for Callie." His voice held a mixture of sadness to it that Joe hadn't heard in a while.

"Frank?" he asked, placing his hand gently on his brother's shoulder. "You know I'm with you if this is what you want to do. But can't you get Callie..." He hesitated, still not believing he was saying this,"….another ring?"

Frank looked at Joe, and Joe was shocked when he thought he saw tears in his brother's eyes.

"What's the matter?" he asked, alarmed.

Frank stood up and cleared his throat, blinking his eyes rapidly and turning from Joe. A moment later he faced him again. "No, Joe, I can't. She... she would want this one. I also want to spend as much time as possible with her when I'm not directly on the case, okay? I'm sure you understand."

Joe had no idea what to do or say. "Um- yeah, sure I understand. Look, Frank, can you talk about what's happening with Callie yet?"

"No," Frank whispered. "I can't. You know as much as I do." Visibly upset, he turned and left the room.

Joe raised his hand to his head and rubbed his temple. He was utterly confused about Frank's behavior. "Then you must not know much, big brother," he said to himself, and followed Frank out of the office.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you to Missme113 and to Alicia for your wonderful reviews—I just read them and you made me smile. To anyone else who reviewed (I'll thank you individually from now on) thanks so much—I'm really glad that you're enjoying the story and that you took the time to review. To anyone else who's reading… as always, I hope you enjoy!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 6

Frank rose early the next day, eager to get a head start on the case. He and Joe would be leaving later that morning to speak with their friends at the police department in order to see if they had found any information. They also wanted to inform Chief Collig about their father's suspicions. Actually, if past experience counted for anything, they'd be informing Con Reilly, their ally on the force, about it. The Chief often had a problem with Frank and his brother investigating anything.

Before he headed out with Joe, though, he wanted to stop by and see Callie. She told had told him the previous evening on the phone that she would be up early. As Frank dressed, he tried to not succumb to the emotions that threatened, each day since Callie's news, to eat him up. He knew that there was still a chance, however small, that Callie would be okay, and that the tumor would be benign. He had to cling to that hope now; it was the only thing that allowed him to have the strength to be there for Callie. As desperately as he wanted to hold her, and to yell and scream about how unfair life was, he knew that he had to hold himself together. It was one of the hardest things he'd ever have to do—but if Callie could do it, so could he.

He also knew it was totally irrational and illogical for him to be so consumed with getting back this ring for Callie. Chances were excellent that even if he and Joe did catch whomever was behind the robbery, that the stolen merchandise would already be disseminated and beyond recapture. Still, holding the ring in his hand had given him a sense of empowerment; that even if he couldn't help Callie physically, he could at least help her emotionally. And if he could do something, _anything_, to lessen her pain, then he would, no matter what the cost.

Soon, Frank found himself at Callie's door. Knocking, he tried to keep his thoughts from wandering past anything beyond the present. At last, the door opened. As soon as he saw Callie, he knew something was wrong. Her face was pale, and she had the beginning of dark circles under her eyes, which were glassy.

"Callie!" he gasped, stepping in and wrapping an arm around her immediately. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Callie looked up shakily at him, and then leaned her head against his shoulder. She spoke softly to him. "Frank, I know we were planning to go out today, and I hope you're not mad. I… I barely slept last night, and this morning I have a really bad headache." She covered her mouth with her hand. "I feel a little nauseated, too. My parents are out at the library seeing if they can find any information about… what I might have. I hate to ruin your day. I'm sorry." Her voice was so low that Frank had to lean close in order to hear her, and she wobbled a bit as she felt weakness spread to her legs.

"Oh, Callie," Frank replied gently. "Don't be silly. Come here." With that, he lifted Callie into his arms and picked her up. Although he had playfully carried her around many times before, he tried not to let the shock register in his face when he felt how _light_ she was. How much weight had she lost? His mouth went dry, and he closed his eyes for a brief moment to get his bearings.

"Hey," she replied, her voice strained. "I'm okay. I can walk."

"Well, can't a guy carry his lovely girlfriend around sometimes?" He tried to joke with her, but his voice sounded distant and flat even to him.

"Well, if you put it that way…" She tried to joke back, but her head was throbbing.

Frank carried Callie into her living room, and gently placed her down on the couch. "I'll be right back," he said quietly to her. Quickly, he rushed up the stairs to Callie's bedroom, and grabbed a pillow and blankets from her bed. He tried not to think about the fact that it was June, and almost 80 degrees out.

Within moments, he was downstairs with Callie again. She had her eyes closed and her hands covering them. He knew from experience with her how badly light affected her eyes when she had a migraine. Gingerly, he placed a pillow under her head, and a blanket around her. He turned off the lights, and turned the television down low. He wanted to ask her if she needed anything, but, in moments, she had fallen sound asleep.

Frank reached out to her and stroked her cheek with his hand. At that moment, a gust of wind blew outside, moving the branches that covered the window on the other side of the room, and thus letting the sunlight cross the room and shed of beam of light on Callie's face. Frank felt his heart skip a beat. With her golden blonde hair over her shoulders, her hands clenched together on her chest, and the dark mahogany couch with the velvet on which she was lying, she looked for an instant to Frank as if she was lying in a coffin.

For the first time in a long time, Frank Hardy gave into his emotions, and, silently, he started to cry.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Several hours later, Joe was beginning to get worried. He knew that Frank had been going to see Callie, but he should have been back at least an hour ago. He had tried to call Callie's home, but the phone was off the hook. Joe could think of several reasons why that might be the case, but he was seriously beginning to consider going over to Callie's himself to get his brother, who also was not answering his cell phone.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw Frank coming up the to the front door. He was about to tease him about being late when he saw the expression on Frank's face and how upset he looked. Instantly, Joe wanted to help. "Frank! Are you…"

"Ready?" Frank cut him off, still not meeting his brother's eyes. "Yes, I am. Let's go. I was just coming in to get you."

Joe, upset, followed Frank to his car. He knew Frank would eventually talk to him, but he tried to be patient and to give him time, although patience was never one of his strong points. "Let me drive," he said to Frank.

Frank looked at him and nodded slightly in gratitude. They switched places. Frank didn't speak the whole way there, and although it was driving Joe crazy that Frank wasn't talking to him, he managed to not pressure Frank. Instead, he turned on the radio. A station was playing old movie classics. On the way to the police station, Joe listened to "The Circle of Life," from the Lion King, "People," "When You Wish Upon a Star," "I Will Always Love You," and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." He knew something was definitely wrong with Frank when he didn't say anything about this channel selection. Joe listened to a lot of rock and roll generally, and only Vanessa- and Iola- knew about his propensity for sentimental old favorites now and again. Frank would have normally laughed him out of the car.

At the police station, the boys spoke with Con Reilly, as they expected. The police were at a standstill as well, following several leads, but thus far turning out nothing. The one piece of information that the brothers did manage to gather was that several witnesses to the crime identified the getaway car as a big Oldsmobile Toronado from the 1970s.

"That's unusual, Con," Joe said slowly. "Who's seen that car in ages?" Joe was a car buff, so he knew the type of car that was being described. Frank had a blank look on his face.

"Yeah, Joe, you're right." Con replied. "Want to hear the strangest part?"

"Absolutely! What else do you have?" Joe was feeling good about this lead. How many Oldsmobile Toronados could be in existence?

"We even got a license plate that said "Totowas." We tried to run it though, and we got no response. Of course, no one could identify the state. They said it was a multi-colored license plate. Actually, it was either that, or covered with mud!" Con laughed. "But, you fella's shouldn't worry about it. With those clues, we should get a lead fairly quickly. Let me know if you find anything out."

"Totowas," huh?" Joe asked. "Totowa is a town in northern New Jersey, Con."

"Yes, Joe, I know that," he replied. "We're checking on it."

"Thanks, Con. I appreciate it." He glanced at his brother, who was looking absentmindedly through a window. "We both do."

Con grinned at Joe, but asked good-naturedly, "Is Frank alright? He seems to have a lot on his mind for a kid who just graduated at the top of his class and is headed to Princeton."

Joe returned the smile. Con did have a soft-side, despite his tough exterior. "Yeah, I think so, thanks. He's got… a lot on his mind."

Joe watched as Frank walked outside. With a sigh, Joe was about to follow him when he heard Con's voice. "Joe?"

Joe turned around. "Yeah, Con?"

"If what your dad says is right, and it is these guys who want revenge on him, you better be careful. You see, I don't think it's all that complicated, but your dad--he's got an instinct for these things. And if he's right, you better consider one thing."

"What's that?" Joe asked.

"Crime doesn't normally happen here a lot. There's probably a reason that a crime so similar to the one that your dad mentioned took place in Bayport. Be careful, and avoid trouble."

"Hmmm," Joe surmised. "Thanks, Con. You know me. I always avoid trouble."

Con rolled his eyes, and gave Joe a wave goodbye.

On the way back to their house, Joe finally spoke. "The case seems interesting, huh? I mean, the unusual car, the weird license plate… it shouldn't take too long to solve."

Frank remained silent.

Finally, Joe decided to bring up Frank's reaction. "Bro, what's with you? Did something happen with you and Callie? You didn't break up, did you? Is that why you're upset?"

Frank turned to Joe with a look of horror. "Of course we didn't break up! How could you even ask that at a time like this?" Frank snapped angrily at him.

Joe was shocked. "At a time like WHAT?!" he snapped back. "You don't even bother to tell me what's going on, and then you get angry at me? What's your problem, man?" He checked his rearview mirror and pulled over.

Frank's face was a mixture of emotions, and Joe couldn't read him, for once. Suddenly, Frank lashed out at him. "How did you know about Callie? How did you know what I was planning to do? Don't you care about this? God, Joe…" His voice trailed off, but Joe saw the pain in his brother's eyes, and he held back his own anger out of genuine concern for his brother, who was quickly becoming an emotional wreck for some reason. Joe was also trying not to panic since Frank so rarely lost his cool.

He knew he had to be honest and tried to prepare for Frank's reaction. "Frank, calm down," he replied, evenly. "The truth is that I overheard you talking on the phone, and I didn't want you to know that. And OF COURSE I care about this. How could I not? I'm just shocked and … well, a little horrified, to tell you the truth."

"Me, too," Frank said, choking back tears.

Joe was shocked. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Frank on the verge of tears. Whatever reason that Frank felt that he had to marry Callie must be pretty bad.

"You know, you can talk to me about anything, right?" Joe said earnestly to his brother. "Look, there are always options. I don't know your reasons, Frank, for everything you do, but I know… I know you'll do the right thing. There's always hope. Things are never as bad as they seem. You know, if you need me to, I'll help you- and Callie- in any way I can. You know that. Come on, Frank- I love you. I'll always be here for you. That's what brothers are for- to help troubles melt away."

Frank tried to wipe back the tears from the corners of his eyes, and Joe was astonished that Frank was actually in tears. Reaching over to him, he hugged Frank tightly, glad that he could at least return the favor for all the times that Frank had been there for him and had done the very same thing. _So this is what it's like to be the older, responsible one, _he thought. Playing that role, Joe felt the weight of responsibility that role encompassed, and he didn't like it. Still, he knew he had to take it on.

"Is it that bad?" he said to his brother, still hugging him.

"Yeah," Frank choked out. "It's literally a matter of life or death—I know you know that." He pulled back from Joe. "Thanks, little brother." Frank was clearly embarrassed to have to rely on anyone, and Joe could sense that.

Rather than push the issue further, he said, simply, "Any time, Frank. That's what I'm here for." Slowly, he started the engine and resumed the drive back, trying to figure out a way to help his brother.

Nothing came to him.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you so much for the reviews. Jabh, you left me speechless-- what a lovely comment! I always thought I'd love to write full time, and perhaps I will one day, but for right now, the Hardys are fine with me! Thank you-- you made my day. Iola, Eleni, Alicia, and Missy, as always-- you are the best. I sincerely appreciate your feedback. Sorry for the 1 day delay!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 7

The next afternoon, Joe Hardy found himself in the driveway of his home, shooting baskets into the net that was attached to the garage. He was trying to sort through the events of the past few days, and, unlike his brother, he couldn't sit still when he was concentrating on things. Frank always concentrated on baseball or football, or whatever sport he happened to be involved with at the moment, looking for a strategy to outwit his opponent. Joe, on the other hand, tended to beat his opponents by sheer desire, a will to win, and an internal passion to do his best. He'd always managed to accomplish that by NOT thinking, just feeling, things. So, on this bright and sunny June afternoon, he tossed basket after basket through the hoop, and allowed his mind to wander on the two issues at hand that he was facing.

First, he thought about the case, and the information he knew thus far. Yeats Jewelers, in Bayport, had been robbed, but only for rubies. A little girl had been held captive, and it had taken place in broad daylight. There had been no attempt to take anything else or to break into the safe. There were at least three people involved—the two who robbed the place, and someone to drive the getaway car, which was an Oldsmobile Toronado from the 1970s. The license plate had read "Totowa", and it was either multicolored or really dirty. Then, there was the fact that his dad mentioned four criminals, two of whom were now dead, and two of whom were escaped, who had vowed revenge on his father for bringing them to justice.

Joe tried to piece the puzzle together, but he wasn't coming up with anything just yet. Perhaps he and Frank should check out Totowa, New Jersey, or search for a listing of Toronados, which would probably be the next best thing to do. He aimed for the basket again, and with a "swoosh" it gracefully went through. Joe smiled, happy that he had at least thought of some course of action.

As Joe was about to head inside for a glass of lemonade, he saw his brother return from his usual run. However, rather than stopping to play basketball with him, or even to say "hi", Frank just returned through the kitchen door and went inside. "Is it me?" Joe muttered to himself, growing frustrated with Frank's inability to speak with him about why he was so upset. And then, like bright sun on a cloudy day, a thought occurred to him out of the blue. _If I can't talk to Frank about this marriage thing, then maybe I should talk to Callie. _With that epiphany, he started doing a little dance in his driveway, and would have continued had he not heard the laughter behind him.

Turning around, he saw Vanessa's car parked on the street next to the house, and then saw Vanessa, herself, giggling at him. Instantly, he felt the color rise to his cheeks. _"Great timing,"_ he thought. He stopped dancing immediately and smiled, embarrassed, at his girlfriend.

"No, no, don't stop for me," she teased him. "I was just admiring your moves from afar."

Joe decided that he could either give in to his embarrassment, or he could make a joke of it. He decided on the latter. Taking a sweeping bow, he said, gallantly, "That was a private showing for you, my lady. If you're lucky, you may get more later." Straightening up, he jogged over to Vanessa and gave her a quick hug and kiss.

Vanessa grinned at him. "You're so silly, Joe!" she said with a laugh. "But I will be sure to look forward to your dance moves later in the day!"

Joe returned her smile. "What brings you here, today, anyway? Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

Vanessa replied, "Well, it's early in the afternoon. I thought you might like to hang out for a little while. I know you're on a case right now, so I won't take your whole day, but… well, I packed a nice picnic lunch and I thought I'd take a chance. Besides, I want to drop by and see Callie later tonight anyway. I haven't heard from her in a few days, so I thought I'd see how she's doing. So—what do you think?" She looked up at Joe with her big grey-blue eyes, and Joe felt incredibly happy at once. Vanessa always had a way of making him forget about his troubles.

"Well, Van, I hope you made my favorite turkey and swiss subs," he said with mock- seriousness. "Because anything less than the best for me simply wouldn't be acceptable." He tried to keep a straight face.

Vanessa looked him right in the eye. "Well, if that's your attitude, make your own lunch!" she quipped, and whirled around, heading for her car.

"Hey! I was just Kidding!" Joe said, grabbing her arm.

She turned back to him with a slight smirk. "I know. Had ya there for a moment, though, didn't I?"

Joe laughed, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Van," he said, "I'd be _delighted _to go to lunch with you. Let me take a quick shower, if that's okay, and then I'll treat you to dessert or something, cause you're _so sweet."_

Vanessa rolled her eyes and giggled at him, as she followed him into the house.

Joe was about to head into the shower when he heard his brother call his name from the living room. "Joe! Get in here! Quick!" Frank called out, sticking his head into the kitchen. "Oh, hi Vanessa," he said, more softly, when he noticed her presence.

Joe shot his brother a puzzled look, and then he and Vanessa entered the living room. "Joe," Frank said, his eyes still holding an intensity that his brother wasn't used to seeing, "Look what's on television! I can't believe this!"

Joe stared at the news channel to which his brother was referring. The broadcaster was standing outside a store, and was reporting on breaking news. Joe squinted at the set. Whatever had Frank so worked up must be pretty interesting. He listened as the journalist spoke.

_"I'm standing here in Radley, a suburb of Philadelphia, as you well know. Within the last hour, there's been a report of a robbery in progress at the Eliot Jewelry Store here. Although no one was hurt, the suspects, described only as two armed men wearing all black, did, in fact, take a little girl hostage as the burglary took place just a half-hour ago. She was released back to her parents without harm before the suspects escaped. Interestingly, we do know, at this early hour, that the suspects apparently only had time to steal a collection of Amethyst jewelry. Clearly, although valuable, these stones were not the most valued of the collection of jewels in the store. The managers were certainly lucky in that respect. We'll be following this story for the continuation of the afternoon, and we'll bring you the latest developments as they are made known to us. Back to you, Rob."_

Joe turned to his brother in amazement. They had been lucky to catch this news, since the Philadelphia television stations were on the outskirts of the Tri-State area's coverage. "Wow!" Joe said, growing excited. "Frank! There's probably a lot more to this story, but it sounds a lot like what happened here, huh? I think we should…"

"Check it out?" Frank asked, finishing Joe's sentence for him. He rose. "Yeah, I do, too. This could be the break we've been looking for, especially if the car and the license plate is the same!"

Joe was surprised. So Frank HAD been paying attention back at the police station. He was slightly disturbed that he wasn't able to read Frank all that well lately.

Vanessa sighed, loudly. The brothers both looked at her. "Listen, guys, I know you're all jazzed about this case for some reason, and that's cool with me. I would, though, like to spend some time with my boyfriend. And," she paused, going for the final punch, "I bet Callie would, too. Why don't you let us come with you? I mean, clearly, the robbery is over, so there isn't much danger to speak of. Besides, it's a nice day, and maybe we can help." She smiled sweetly, knowing that Joe often couldn't resist her.

He smiled back. "Why not? Besides, you're right. We won't know much until the police do their investigations, and Philly is only about two or two and a half -hours from here. What do you say, Frank?" He turned to his brother, and was surprised, again, by the look on Frank's face. Before he could ask him what was wrong, Frank spoke.

"I… um… I don't know if Callie could go. She…" He sputtered his words, tripping over them as he searched for the right ones.

Vanessa cut him off. "Well, let me just call her and find out!" She walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone.

Joe, left alone with Frank, raised up his hands to him in confusion. "WHAT is going on? I mean, Vanessa's right. It WOULD be nice to spend time together. Besides, this case is getting weird—amethysts? I mean, come on! They're not as valuable as rubies. I don't get it. Why are you giving me that look?!" Now, Joe was trying not to get frustrated, but he was losing the battle.

He saw a spark of—was it Anger? Hurt? Sadness? SOMETHING- in Frank's eyes right before he spoke. "How could you ask her to go?" Frank asked, angry.

"Who? Vanessa? What are you talking about?" Joe shot back.

"Callie!" Frank said, raising his voice.

Before the argument could continue, Vanessa entered the room again. "I didn't mean to listen in," she began, "but I heard you mention Callie. I just spoke with her. She can be ready in an hour to go."

Joe didn't miss the shocked look on his brother's face.

"B… but…" he began.

"Stop it, Frank! You're acting so weird lately!" Vanessa said to him. It was only after dating Joe for this amount of time that she felt comfortable enough around his family to speak her mind. "Callie said you'd probably be surprised, for some reason. She said to tell you something about how she had to keep going—life goes on, or something like that." Vanessa paused. "You two have flipped out since graduation, do you know that?"

Joe watched his brother's face fall and he almost saw the expression of sadness come over it like a mask. At once, Joe decided that he'd speak to Frank soon about this, because clearly, Frank and Callie were losing their minds. With a wry smile, he thought that maybe they _should _get married at this point—they were both exactly alike. As soon as the thought came, it left him. What was he thinking? If he couldn't reason with Frank, then he'd be sure to reason with Callie. Either way, this stupid wedding was going to be stopped. This had gone on too long. No matter how bad things were, getting married would only compound it. He was sure of that, at least.

"Okay, guys. Joe, go shower. Frank, relax. I'm going to eat my portion of what was supposed to be my lunch with Joe. In an hour or so, we'll be heading to the city of brotherly love!" She smiled.

Joe quipped, "Kind of ironic, Vanessa, considering a robbery just took place there." He winked at her, and headed up to take a shower.

Vanessa couldn't help but to notice that Frank looked distraught, and she said gently to him, "Frank? Sorry if I snapped at you. Don't be upset, okay? I… I hope I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

Frank met her eyes. "I hope not," he said, softly, and turned away from her, heading slowly out of the room.

"I wonder what he meant by THAT," Vanessa couldn't help but to think, as she waited to begin their journey.


	8. Chapter 8

_Geez, I am so, so sorry about the delay in posting—this story has been written for a long time now, but I always go back, proofread, etc. Now I am falling behind! I WILL respond to each of you who has so kindly sent me a PM or an e-mail or who has taken the time to comment—I cannot thank you enough. It makes al the writing worth it!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 8

"Well, we're here!" Joe said, as he pulled into Callie's driveway. He pushed on the horn and beeped twice.

"Joe!" Frank snapped at him, unbuckling his seat belt. "Is that really necessary? I'll go in and get Callie." He opened the door.

"She'd be out in a second, anyway," Joe contended, but Frank had already left and was almost at Callie's door. Joe turned to Vanessa, who was sitting in the passenger seat, with a grin. "Well, I hope he's in a better mood for the rest of the day," he joked with her.

"I'm sure he will be, as long as Callie's here," Vanessa said back. The two sat back and waited for Frank and Callie to begin the journey to Philadelphia.

Frank felt nervous as he approached Callie's. She had felt so terrible the day before, and there was no way that she would be in any shape to take a long car ride that would last who knew how long. The thought of watching her suffer in any way was becoming more and more unbearable each time he thought about it. Hesitating, he knocked at the door.

Within seconds Callie appeared, a bright smile on her face. She was dressed in a loose-fitting black sweater-set, a jean skirt, and black sandals, and wore her long hair in a low pony-tail. Somehow, with just a little bit of make-up, and the right clothing, she managed to look perfectly healthy. Only the closest observer could detect her weight loss or the swollen bump on the back of her head. She looked beautiful. Frank was speechless.

"Hey," she said, smiling at him, and giving him a kiss. "Ready to go?" She headed for the doorway.

Frank stood in her path, and Callie looked up at him, questioningly. "Um, Frank? You're blocking the way, and patience has never been Joe's strong suit. Come on—let's go!"

"Joe can wait."

Callie met his eyes. She really didn't feel like having this conversation now. Patiently, she asked him, "Is there something the matter?"

Frank sighed. How could he tell her everything he was feeling? All he could manage was "I… I don't think you should go. You were so sick yesterday! This might not be good for you, and I… well, I just want you to be okay. Don't be angry with me."

Callie looked through the door, and saw Joe and Vanessa laughing about something. She took the quick moment to meet Frank's gaze, and felt her heart melt when she saw the concern, the love, and the fear he had for her all reflected there.

Softly, she spoke, as she reached up and gently touched his cheek. "Oh, Frank. I could never be ANGRY with you for caring. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you now. I'm okay today, and I'll continue to be okay as long as I physically and mentally can be. PLEASE, don't feel sorry for me. Obviously, there's something very wrong here, whether it's… cancer... or not, I really don't know. I CAN tell you that I can't let whatever it is beat me, and that means I have to live my life the best way I can, every day—the way we all say that we're going to, but so few of us really ever do."

Callie pulled back and looked at Frank, and saw him struggling to be calm. She knew him too well. What others would perceive stoic silence Callie knew to be Frank's attempt to stay in control of his emotions. It really broke her heart to watch him in so much turmoil and pain. She looked at the floor. She wanted to believe her own words- and she _needed _Frank to believe them- but a large part of her wanted to sink to the ground and just cry. Still, she couldn't do that.

"Okay," Frank managed, clearing his throat. "I just… wanted…" He couldn't find the words again.

Callie stepped into his arms, and felt him embrace her tightly. She rested her head against his chest, and could feel his ragged breaths. "I know," she whispered, gently.

Slowly, she broke free of his arms and, eyes shining with tears, she found herself smiling again. "You're okay, Hardy, you know that?" She laughed, softly, and blinked back the tears. "Let's go. Your brother must be going stir crazy by now."

Frank, choked up himself, forced a weak smile in return, and nodded. Reaching for Callie's hand, he held it tightly as they headed to the car.

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The ride to Radley in Philadelphia proved to be a nice time after all. Frank watched silently as Callie laughed and joked around and even got into a silly singing contest with Joe and Vanessa over who knew the most words to the songs on the radio. Joe won, but that didn't even seem to faze Callie, who just looked happy to be with friends. _How does she do it?" _he mentally asked himself. "_How does she hide all of this?" _Still, in that moment, Frank made a choice. He could either give into the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him, in which case he still had no control over the situation, or he could try and really be normal, and to enjoy this time that he had with Callie, while she was still happy and healthy. It didn't take him long to make his decision.

As they arrived outside the Eliot Jewelry store, he perked up a bit. "Van? Callie? You guys can wait here while Joe and I check this out. It might take a little while, though."

Joe shot his brother a look in the rearview mirror. Those were the first words Frank had spoken on the trip, minus the occasional "no," or "uh huh." Callie was acting perfectly normal. This whole thing was getting bizarre.

It was Callie who spoke first after that. "Listen, Frank, my friend used to go to school near here. Why don't Vanessa and I take the car and we can pick you up in two hours or so? There's some great shopping down the street, not too far from here. This way, we don't wait and we're happy. You can investigate, and you're happy, and then, well, you'll make us even happier by buying us dinner tonight!"

Vanessa laughed. "Great idea, Cal!"

"Okay, then," Joe responded, handing the keys to Vanessa. "Two hours—and don't be late!"

"Look who's talking!" Vanessa responded back.

Joe stuck out his tongue at her, and hopped out of the car. Frank followed, giving Callie a kiss on the cheek before he left.

Once on their own, Joe thought about asking Frank about his odd behavior, but decided against it, for the moment. They had a case to concentrate on, and right now, that had to be their first priority. They had spoken briefly with their father regarding the possible connection of this jewelry heist to the one in Bayport, and Fenton had put in a few phone calls that allowed the boys access to speak with the policemen who were investigating the crime. Fenton happened to be an old friend of the Police Commissioner's, who had allowed the boys to use his name to get some pull.

They walked up to one of the officers, and Joe spoke first. "Excuse me," he said, politely. "My brother and I are investigating a possible connection to this robbery and another robber, and we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions."

The officer smirked at them, and Joe sighed inwardly. He knew what was coming next; almost inevitably, with the exception of the Bayport Police, this was the initial reaction that they got. "Investigators, eh? You're a bit young to play policeman, don't you think?" He shook his head, and the smirk disappeared. "Get out of here, kids. There's a serious investigation that's taking place here, and you are interfering with official police business."

Joe felt himself getting angry here, and felt the color rise to his cheeks. He was about to tell the officer a nice place to stick "official investigative reports" when he heard Frank speak up. Frank was soft-spoken and non-confrontational by nature, so when he did make a point, people generally tended to listen to him. Joe remained silent and listened.

Frank began, "My name is Frank Hardy and this is my brother, Joe. We _are _on official police business as well. Our father is a private investigator, formerly of the NYPD. But, if you'd like further confirmation of the fact that we're entitled to ask questions and to be here, I'm sure Commissioner Jones would be happy to verify that for you. Call him. I have his number right here." Frank whipped out an address book, ready to produce the number.

The officer looked startled. "I'll be right back," he muttered, and stalked away.

Joe turned to his brother and nodded approvingly. "Not bad, Frank."

Frank smiled. "I try."

Within minutes, another officer approached the brothers, apparently having spoken with the initial one. This one was much more accommodating. "Well, boys, I hear that you're on a case from the Comish. How can I be of assistance to you?"

Joe was agitated by the little respect he and Frank got until they actually solved cases. He planned to solve this one now, but couldn't resist prodding the officer. "Well, sir," Joe began, "The behavior of the gentleman who was just here was really disappointing. I'd hate to have to report him to Mr. Jones. I…"

He was cut off by Frank. "I think what my brother _means _to say is that although the kind officer wasn't initially helpful, we appreciate the security procedures that you have in place and the fact that you follow protocol. We'll- ah- be sure to pass that on to Mr. Jones."

Joe went to give his brother a dirty look but, to his surprise, Frank's tactic worked, and the officer was now more vociferous than ever. "Well, now, I appreciate that," he began. "How can I help you? You know, anything the Comish wants, we try to get."

Frank suppressed a smile. "We'd just like to know a few things."

"Shoot," the officer replied.

Joe cut in. "When did the robbery take place? I mean, what time?"

The officer replied, "Around 11:30 this morning, son."

"And no rubies were stolen?" Joe continued.

"Nope- only amethysts. They're valuable, but not as valuable as say- diamonds or something like that."

"There was no attempt to break in to the safe, or to steal anything other than the amethysts?" Now it was Frank who spoke.

"No- that's the unusual part about this case."

"And there was a hostage?" Joe asked.

"Yep- the little girl. She's fine, thank the lord."

Frank was puzzled. He and Joe were doing their usual questioning routine—establishing facts they already presumed to be true before moving on to new ones. It helped to establish the credibility of the witnesses and the veracity of the earlier reports. Still, Frank was looking for a more direct connection.

"There were two robbers? And one getaway car? Are there any leads on that?" _Come on_, Frank thought_. Tell me what I'm looking for_.

"Well, son, you're right about all of it. Two robbers, one car- an unusual one. Some old man identified it to us as an Oldsmobile—Toronado, I think. It was a popular car back in the day. The license plate began with a "T"—that's all we got."

Joe sucked in his breath. There it was again! Now there was a definite connection between the cases. Finally, he asked, "I know it's unlikely, but were there any fingerprints found?"

"Nope- they both wore gloves. Still, I'll give you my personal number in case we get any more developments." He smiled at them.

"We really appreciate that," Frank responded.

A few minutes later, Frank and Joe sat at a little booth next to the jewelry store sipping cans of soda, as they waited for their girlfriends to pick them up. Both were excited about the connection, although they were a bit perplexed at this point.

Frank finally turned to Joe. "Joe, let's say that Dad's right, and that the guys who are doing this are the same ones that he put away to prison a long time ago. What were their names again? Oh yeah. Ramses and Butler died, and Smith and Wilkins escaped. Anyway,…"

Joe stared at his brother. "Frank? That's kind of a long shot, don't you think? Come on!"

Frank sighed. "Stop ruling things out before we can, Joe. I'm speaking hypothetically here. You know as well as I do that weird things can happen on cases. That's all I'm saying."

"Go on," Joe said, before taking another swig of his soda.

"ANYWAY, if it's true, and they want revenge against us, what's the deal? I mean, I was IN the store where the robbery took place in Bayport. I was fine. Then, the robbery takes place here—far away from New York. And amethysts? What have they got to do with rubies?" Frank furrowed his brow in concentration.

"That's why I said it was a long shot," Joe replied back sarcastically.

Frank shook his head. " I think…"

"I know what you think," Joe interrupted. "You think that the next thing we need to do is to look up jewel collectors in the area, and any crime history that they might have. Guess what? While you've been going off the deep end these past several days, I've already done that. Nothing, Nada. Zilch."

"Oh," Frank said, surprised. He hadn't thought that Joe would think to do that.

"I also think we should watch national coverage for any more heists of this pattern, and get on the Toronado and Totowa search. Well, regional coverage at least."

"I agree." Frank was impressed.

"Now…" Joe said, finally smiling. "That I am sure you are impressed with my abilities, promise me that you're going to start acting normally again and that—you know—the thing with Callie will be put on the backburner for a while."

Frank swallowed hard. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Well, Joe—Callie has to come first. She always will. But- I'm willing to concentrate on the case first before Callie and I find out the news."

Joe's eyes widened. So it was true! Callie _was _pregnant! He felt the color drain from his face, although he tried to keep his composure.

"Oh- oh. So- ah- you don't know yet?" He asked, hoping against hope.

"Not for sure, Joe." Joe watched his brother clench his hands and struggle to keep calm. 'But it doesn't look good. The doctor is fairly certain. We'll know in a week. I can't believe this is happening. It's so—horrifically unfair. What will I do, Joe?" Frank looked devastated.

Joe put an arm around his brother's shoulders. "I guess… see what Callie does- what _she _wants to do." He looked pointedly at his brother, who seemed to catch his drift. "There's always hope, you know. When someone's in… trouble... you have to do the best you can for her. Don't let it ruin your whole life, though. There are ways to deal with this."

Frank looked at his brother, the pain apparent in his eyes. "How can you say that Joe? I--- she's everything to me."

Joe thought that comment was odd, but he let it slide. "Well, don't worry- I won't say anything," he promised.

"Thanks," Frank replied, sadly.

Just then, the girls pulled up. "Hop in!" Vanessa said, laughing. "You wouldn't believe the stuff we got today!"

As the boys climbed into the car, Vanessa continued to talk."Yeah, there was some good shopping to be done today. Things were expensive, though. We didn't get any good deals."

Callie chimed in. "I'd go so far as to saw we got pretty rotten deals!" she quipped.

Joe looked at his brother in the back seat of the car, who already had an arm secured tightly around Callie's shoulders. "Yeah, bad deals tend to happen a lot, even if you have good intentions."

It was all he could think to say.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks so much for your reviews! For your patience, I am sending in 2 chapters. Hope you en_j_oy!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 9

The next day Joe sat in his room staring at the computer screen that lay before him. He was trying to search for any leads he could think of that would help him and Frank on the case. Clearly, the robberies in Bayport and Radley were connected—but how? And why? He had spent several hours searching a national database for a license plate that read "Totowa," but had no luck thus far. And, try as he might to track down Oldsmobile Toronados, he had no luck there, either. All he could do at this point was wait it out, and see if there was another robbery taking place. Joe sighed. He _hated _to wait.

Joe leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. Maybe the reason he couldn't concentrate on the case was because he was so concerned about Frank. He couldn't believe that Callie was actually pregnant! The very thought caused him to shudder involuntarily. _I'm all for being an uncle, _he couldn't help but to think to himself, _but not for another few years, at least! _He shook his head and sighed, exasperated. This was some mess. Frank was so bright, and had an incredible future in front of him—how could Callie ruin all of that?

Joe stood up and stretched, looking out the window longingly. He hated being cooped up. He couldn't stop thinking about Frank, though. He knew, logically, that it obviously wasn't all Callie's fault, but he couldn't help but to blame her for what was happening. _Maybe, _he thought,_ I should just take a ride over there and find out for myself what she's planning on doing. _He was pleased with the idea. If nothing else, it'd get him away from all this research for a while. That was normally up Frank's alley, but Frank was speaking with his father and doing some research of his own, trying to track down the criminals who were involved in Fenton's crime racket years ago. Personally, Joe didn't think there was any connection, but Frank was right—sometimes odd things did happen on cases.

Just as he was about to leave for Callie's, the phone rang. After the second ring, Joe picked it up.

"Hello?" He said into the speaker.

"Joe? Oh, hey. It's Iola."

Joe froze. What could Iola want? He was still very close to her, but since their split, things were awkward, to say the least. Still, he did care for her. He paused, deciding what to say next.

"Um, hello? Joe? Are you still there?" Iola's voice snapped him back to reality.

Not wanting to sound like an idiot, Joe finally spoke. "Oh. Hi, Iola! How are you? What's new?"

Joe heard her take a deep breath on the other end of the line. Good. She was nervous, too. Suddenly, he didn't feel so awkward.

"Joe? I'm sorry to bother you, but Tony was just here. He was hanging out with Chet. I happened to be home, and he was telling me about the robbery that Frank had been involved with. Anyway, I assume that's the case you're working on now. Is it? I mean… can you tell me that?" Iola felt awkward, as she found herself tripping over her words. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She had wanted so badly to speak with Joe, and now that she was, she felt ridiculous. Ease was a hard thing to fake.

Joe was surprised. Why did Iola want to know about their case? He didn't see the harm in telling her, though. "Um, yeah. Actually, it is." Suddenly, Joe felt like he was talking to an old friend. Iola had always been smart—maybe she could offer some insight on the case. Joe found himself telling her all about their leads, his father's theory, and the connection to the burglary in Radley. When he was done, he happened to glance at the clock. He had rambled on to her for fifteen minutes non-stop. He bit his lip. Maybe that had been taking things a bit too far, too soon.

Iola listened patiently at the other end of the line. She tried to be even-keeled in her responses to Joe, but secretly, she was hanging on to every word. It felt so wonderful for Joe to talk to her again like this! She longed for the days when she had been his sole confidant. However, as she listened to him go on and felt herself getting excited, she caught sight of her reflection in her bedroom mirror. The girl who stared back at her was not the same girl who had once been there. She was not, above all, Joe Hardy's girlfriend any longer.

When she heard silence, finally, at the other end of the line, she shook herself out of her reverie. She had, after all, called Joe for a purpose. "Um—wow, Joe, that's interesting," she said. With an inward groan, Iola realized how dorky she sounded. "_Wow_." _Nice going, Iola,_ she thought.

"Yeah, it is," she heard Joe reply.

Iola continued to speak. "Joe, I don't have any real ideas right now, but I did call you for three reasons. First, I wanted to tell you that I've been watching television, and they mentioned that another weird robbery had taken place. Until I called you, I had no idea that there would be so many similarities, but …. Well, now I think there might be. Second, I kind of wanted to offer my help. Remember when we were younger? One of my favorite subjects was always science, and I loved learning about rocks and stones. Remember that jewelry book you bought me once?" She laughed, then decided it might not be appropriate. "Um, the point is that I know a lot about stones, so maybe I could help you."

Joe's interest was piqued. That's right- Iola did know a lot about that stuff. "Thanks, Iola. I might take you up on your offer. What did you hear on the news?"

Iola answered. "There was some sort of robbery of sapphires, but nothing else in the store was taken. I happened to be watching the national news—I have a lot of time on my hands these days." She giggled nervously. "But- anyway, the store was called Larkin Jeweler's, I think, and it took place in—hold on. Let me check. I wrote it down." She returned a minute later. "The name of the town is called Idaria, and it's in West Virginia."

Joe was taken aback. "What made you even think of me, Iola?" he asked.

She paused, thinking to herself that she _always _thought of him. Out loud, she said, "Well, as I said before, Tony was here. Plus, I've always been interested in jewelry. The fact that only sapphires were taken is weird. And, the only sapphires that were taken were a rare type called and Iolite, which is like a water sapphire. They come in violet blue and yellow gray variations. I mean, who would think to take only those kinds?"

Joe whistled. "When did this take place?"

"Around noon, I think. Yeah- that's it. Noon." Iola felt happy to be able to help.

Joe was excited. Today there had been a new robbery, albeit in West Virginia. He wanted to talk to Frank right away. Maybe this was related to their case. It sure sounded like it was. Still, he wanted to be polite. "Thanks, Iola. You've been a great help. You said you called for three reasons. What was the third?"

There was a pause. Finally, he heard Iola say, "To say hi."

Joe couldn't help but to smile. "Well, I'm glad you did."

"Me, too." Iola cleared her throat. "I'll let you get going. I'm sure you want to run things past Frank. I… hope I helped, and my offer still stands."

"Bye, Iola."

"Bye, hon…I mean Joe." She clicked off before Joe could respond.

He stared at the receiver in his hand. That phone call had been informative, refreshing, awkward, and just plain confusing all in one.

Still, he placed the receiver back into its cradle, and ran down the stairs to speak to his brother. If this was a lead, then he knew that he and Frank had to figure out what the pattern was before another heist took place. There was no tangible pattern, and very little evidence. Still, it was just this type of impossible case that started Joe's creative juices flowing more than anything else.

For the moment, all thoughts of visiting Callie Shaw vanished from his mind.


	10. Chapter 10

_As promised….._

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 10

"Frank! Hey, Frank!" Joe Hardy barged into his father's office, calling his brother's name. Both Frank and Fenton jumped when they heard the door slam open, as they had both been transfixed staring at and flipping through documents.

Fenton squinted at his son. "Joseph, you really have to learn to knock, Son. Although I appreciate your youthful exuberance, you really should learn to control it."

Joe stared at his dad for a minute. _Exuberance?_ "Um, yeah. Sorry."

"What is it, Joe?" Frank asked, looking up at his brother. "Dad and I were just talking about his theory. He…"

"Cool," Joe interrupted his brother, who gave up trying to talk. When Joe had an announcement, the world had to stop to take notice. "Listen! I think that there's been another robbery. Check it out!" He plopped unto his dad's leather couch and made himself comfortable.

"Yes?" Fenton asked, dryly. For some reason, he knew that Joe tended to be a little off in his theories a lot of the time, although even he had to admit that Joe tended to come through when the timing got really crucial.

"Okay," Joe began. "Iola just called me…"

"Really?" Frank cut in, giving him a surprised glance.

"Yes, really," Joe said, ignoring the implication of Frank's knowing glance. "Stop interrupting!"

Fenton had to laugh at the irony of that statement, but then politely stopped and let his son continue.

"Anyway," Joe went on, "She told me that there was another robbery in West Virginia in a town called Idaria. It took place at noon, I believe, in a jewelry store called Larkin's. We need to get on this right away!" He paused as he looked at the blank stare on Frank's and his dad's faces.

"Yeah? What is it?" He eyed them suspiciously, perplexed.

"WHAT does that have to do with a case where ruby's and amethysts have been stolen?" Frank asked.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Joe had forgotten the most important detail. "Well, I forgot to tell you that only sapphires were stolen this time, and again, it looks like nothing else was touched or disturbed. At least that's what I think. AND, Iola said that the only type of sapphires stolen were something called Io-…. Iul…."

"Iola?" Frank guessed.

"No, he means Iolites," Fenton cut in. "They're a rare form of sapphire, I believe."

"Yeah! That's it! How'd you know that, Dad?" Joe questioned.

Fenton smiled. "I've been on my share of investigations regarding the robbery of jewelry, Joe," he answered.

Frank bit his lip. "Well, if what Joe is saying is true, then it DOES look like it's another hit. But West Virginia? And Iolites? What—are these guys now going for only specialty jewelry? I don't understand."

"Me either," Joe replied.

"Let's look it up on the Internet and see if any news has been posted about the robbery. I mean, it's almost 5:00 now. If it took place at noon, maybe there's been some information posted already," Frank surmised.

"Good idea, son," Fenton responded, and within minutes, Fenton managed to pull up a local news site in West Virginia that updated stories as they occurred. Together, they read the article.

_Idaria- 3:00 p.m.- Just three short hours ago, Idaria experienced one of the most bizarre thefts that it has ever seen. At 12:00 noon, in broad daylight, two masked thugs dressed all in black robbed one of the town's premier jewelry shops, Larkin's, on the corner of Main and West streets. Strangely, there was no attempt to confiscate any of the most valuable jewels; Larkin's is known for its collection of jade and emerald stones. Rather, the thieves went right for the sapphire collection, and wound up leaving with only a handful of the more rare "water" sapphire stones, known as Iolites. Apparently, they demanded the specific stones immediately, which, according to authorities, suggests that the robbery was pre-meditated. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the incident, although a small child was taken hostage by the criminals. Details are still under investigation, although we DO know that the thugs took off in an older model car with an unidentified license plate appearing to have numerous colors in it, according to eyewitnesses. This small town sees very little of crime, and residents are concerned…._

All three stopped reading at that point, and turned to one another. "Well," Frank spoke first, "We can definitely say that these cases all appear connected somehow."

Joe shot Frank a pointed look. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

Fenton sighed. "Boys, please stop arguing. Frank's right, although…. Well, it is kind of obvious."

Frank blushed, and Joe smirked.

"Well, what were you two talking about before I came down here? Do you really think that your men—the ones who escaped from prison—could be behind this? I'm curious." Joe sat back, and waited for either his father or brother to explain it to him.

Frank began, slowly. "Okay, Joe. If it is these guys, we know a few things. First, they were angry—not only because dad busted the ring, but also because their friends, Chris "the Wizard" Ramses, and Shelley Butler, the literature genius, died in the attempt to escape. Remember, their bodies were burned to a crisp—not exactly a good way to go."

"Well, I guess we can rule those two out," Joe joked.

Frank ignored him. "The two remaining ones, Robert Smith and Jeremy Wilkins, were never found. Dad says that a full investigation is _still _ongoing, but family members were questioned, as well as friends and relatives. Nothing turned up. So, as I was saying before, they were angry. However, since Smith was also good with computers and Wilkins was into architecture, AND they were able to jam alarms before, couldn't they do it again? I mean, there was no alarm here or in Radley, and I presume the same thing happened in Idaria. It makes sense."

Joe nodded. "Okay, I see your point."

"PLUS," Frank continued, "They did swear revenge on dad and all of us, they promised the world's greatest heist, and they've robbed jewelry before…."

Joe paused then spoke up, trying to piece this together. "There're some major holes in your theory, bro."

"Like what?" Frank looked taken aback.

"Like what?" Joe repeated. "Like the fact that there is no indication whatsoever that these guys are after us. I mean, the crimes are moving _away _from Bayport. You didn't get hurt and you were AT the robbery. There's also the fact that although these robberies are weird, to say the least, they're not exactly the world's greatest heists. PLUS--you have at least three, not two, guys. The robberies are in small, nondescript towns. They're riding around in an old car from the seventies with a license plate that's the name of a town in Northern New Jersey and yet is obviously not a REAL license plate since the description doesn't match any state. Need I go on? Because I can, you know."

Frank looked like the wind had been let out of his sails. Still, he tried to save face. "Look, Joe, those are all good points. But my gut instinct tells me..."

Joe burst out laughing. "Your gut instinct? What is this—a role reversal?! I'm the logical thinker and all you have is gut instinct?" Joe continued to laugh, although he was only half-joking. Let Frank see what it felt like to be laughed at when you didn't have a shred of evidence- only a feeling. He stopped, though, when he saw the look on Frank's face.

"Joe- I don't care if you believe me or not. I plan on going to talk to the families of Smith and Wilkins, both of whom were Ivy League graduates from Harvard. Dad tells me that their families are still in Massachusetts. Come with me if you want, or don't if you don't want to. I don't care. I'm going, and I'm getting ready to leave tonight." He stood up, turned around, and left the room.

Joe turned to his father. "Dad? What's…"

Fenton frowned. "I don't know, son, but he is determined to go. He told me that before you even came down here. And, even less to my liking, he told me that he wants Callie Shaw to go with him, for some odd reason unbeknownst to me. I mean, it shouldn't be dangerous, but there is a point at which you should separate your personal and business life. Frank has always been able to do that—until now. He seems to _need _to be around Callie too often. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Joe groaned. He had forgotten to talk to Callie. Oh, well. He'd have plenty of time now.

"I'll… see what I can find out," he said to his father. "And if Frank's bringing Callie, I'm bringing Vanessa."

He was about to leave when he saw his father give him a small smile.

"What?" he asked.

"You're assuming Vanessa is free, one, and two, that she has nothing better to do than to go with you. You and your brother can be a little bossy with your girlfriends sometimes. Callie has stuck with Frank for a long time, but Frank's usually pretty thoughtful. You, on the other hand, have to realize you're not God's gift to women. I hope Vanessa is understanding."

Joe, caught between annoyance and surprise, decided to make a joke of it at the last minute. "But Dad- I AM God's gift to women. Vanessa'll go. She lives to serve me."

Fenton shook his head in amusement. "Well, Lord Joseph, let's pray you're right."

Joe laughed, and then headed up after his brother. He had a long trip to get ready for.


	11. Chapter 11

_Thanks so much to Eleni and Melissa for your comments on the last chapters. You both have made me smile! Here ya go—two more chapters. I hope that you both and everyone else are enjoying the story. Thanks!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 11

It was late by the time Joe pulled his car into the Marriott Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. He was tired, and it had been a long drive. That night, they all planned to rest up before heading in different directions first thing in the morning to speak with both the Smith and Wilkins families.

"Joe? Can you go and check in? Callie and I will be waiting here in the car for you to get back, and we'll organize the few bags that we have."

Joe turned to the voice at his side, and smiled. "Sure, Iola. Frank and I will check in. You stay here." With those words, Joe opened his door and hopped out. He watched through the window as his brother gave Callie a quick kiss, and then followed him outside. With a sigh, Joe headed toward the lobby, taking one last quick glance at Iola.

Well, his father had been right—Vanessa hadn't been too pleased with his last minute plans and had decided not to come along. As it turned out, she was helping her mother on a computer graphics design project, and would probably be tied up for a few days. He should have known better, anyway. Vanessa meant the world to him, and one of the things he loved about her was that she could speak her mind and was independent. It should have dawned on him that she might have had other plans. With a pout, he thought about how he'd miss her as he waited in line to check in.

"Joe? You okay?" Frank's voice snapped him out of daydreaming.

With a sheepish grin, he replied, "Yeah. I was just thinking about Vanessa. I wish she could have come."

Frank stared at him. "And how does she feel about you being here with Iola, anyway?" Frank couldn't resist asking the question. Somehow, although Joe clearly loved Vanessa, he managed to get himself involved in this love triangle with Iola, and Frank didn't like it one bit.

Joe blushed. "Well, you know…" His voice trailed off.

Frank's eyes grew wide. "Joe? You DID tell her, didn't you?!" Frank couldn't believe this. Joe wouldn't be stupid enough not to tell Vanessa- would he be?

Clearing his throat, Joe replied to his brother, "Well, I mean, yeah I told her. Sort of. You know, this was kind of last minute and all, so she doesn't know all the details…"

Frank eyes him suspiciously. "What do you mean you 'kind of' told her?" He refused to let this go.

Joe gritted his teeth. Frank could be really annoying sometimes. "I left a message on her answering machine, and told her Iola was coming since she was pretty good at jewelry identification and could possibly be a help." He tried not to sound annoyed.

Frank shook his head in disbelief. "You have _got_ to be kidding me! She's going to go nuts when you get home—and with good reason! Besides…" Frank stopped and met his brother's eyes. "Are you sure that's why Iola is here? It's not fair to play both her and Vanessa, and you should know better than that."

Now Joe was angry. He felt his voice rise. "Of COURSE I'm sure that's why she's here, and how DARE you suggest that I would hurt either Iola or Vanessa. You're out of your mind!"

"Be quiet!" Frank snapped back at him. "People are staring!"

Joe took a deep breath and noticed that people really were staring. He lowered his voice. "Fine!" he said quietly. "But mind your own business. You have enough to worry about with Callie and that whole stupid situation!" He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth.

Frank looked shocked, and then lashed out. "What the HELL is that supposed to mean?"

Now Joe had gone too far to turn back. He answered back. "It means that maybe if she'd have been a little more careful, none of this would have happened. She has some responsibility in this. Both of you ought to make a decision about what you're going to do! I refuse to let this ruin your life, and I plan to talk to her about it!" Joe couldn't stop himself. "If she goes away after I talk to her, who cares? I need to say it to her, and to you, too!"

Frank felt his heart drop. Never, _never _could he have imagined Joe being so callous, so hard, toward his beloved Callie. How dare he blame her! How dare he try and tell her that his support of her was ruining his life. And Joe didn't care if she "went"; if she died?! He wanted to hit Joe, to make him suffer like he was suffering; like Callie was suffering. However, he couldn't. He obviously didn't know Joe any longer, and he felt suddenly and completely alone. He might lose Callie; he had just lost Joe. Without a word, Frank turned on his brother and walked out of the hotel.

Joe, left alone, froze. On one hand, he was glad he had said what he did; Frank needed to hear the truth, and so did Callie. On the other hand, Joe felt un-nerved. Frank had actually looked- _stung-_ when he had spoken. He'd never seen that look on Frank's face before—never.

A shiver ran through him, which he ignored. He went to pay for two rooms for the night, ignoring that intense feeling of --- loneliness—he couldn't remember feeling before. He shook it off.

Outside, in the car, he found Frank and the girls.

"We're in rooms 202 and 204," he said matter- of-factly to them.

"Fine," Frank responded evenly. "Let's go." He grabbed his bag and Callie's, and went ahead of the girls to the elevator inside. Joe stormed behind him.

Callie and Iola glanced nervously at one another. "What's with Frank and Joe?" Callie whispered.

Iola shrugged her shoulders, bewildered. They followed the boys inside.

Once they arrived at their rooms, Frank jammed the key into the slot for the room that he was sharing with Joe. He tossed his bag inside, and left the door open. Moments later, Joe arrived, stalking past his brother into their room.

The girls appeared soon after. As soon as they did, Frank met Callie in the hallway and took her hand. "Cal? I need to talk to you about something," he said to her. "Let's go to your room." He didn't want to hurt Callie by telling her about Joe's unfathomable words, but he did want to let her know that he and Joe would be working very separately on this case for a while, and that he'd prefer it if she stayed with him, by his side. There was no way he was going to let Joe say anything to Callie that might upset her or cause her pain. She was going through far too much as it was.

Callie, puzzled, nodded at him. "O…Okay. Iola, I'll be back in a little while and then we can trade rooms. I'm a little tired anyway."

Frank shot a concerned look at his girlfriend. If she was tired, he'd make sure she got some rest very soon.

Iola gave a small smile to Callie. "All right." She followed Joe into his room, unsure of what to do or say next. She had been totally surprised when Joe had asked her to come along and help them out. He knew that she hated being on cases, so her presence must really be needed. She tried with all her might not to hope that Joe wanted anything more from his invitation. She was trying so hard not to hurt Vanessa, and, above all, not to love Joe. But, she thought, as she looked at his handsome face and bright blue eyes, she couldn't help it. She _did _love him; she just couldn't—and wouldn't—act on it. She had more dignity than that.

She decided to check on him. " Joe? You look upset. Is there… is there anything I can help you with? Or… would you like me to leave you alone? I'll give you privacy if you'd like to call Vanessa." The words hurt, but she wanted to make sure Joe was okay. That was the most important thing.

Joe, sitting on the bed, felt overwhelmed. He looked at Iola. After all she had been through, she was still so sweet and loving. He really wanted to talk to someone, but he knew Vanessa would be busy at home, and he didn't want to bother her.

"You don't have to leave. I'd…I'd like you to stay," he found himself saying to her. He surprised himself, too, because he meant it. Iola had always been there for him. She looked so lovely….

Joe snapped himself out of it. What was he doing? He loved Vanessa. He had been there and done that with Iola. Still, he did love Iola, too, in his own way. Chiding himself for letting him think anything other than a platonic thought for Iola, Joe just sighed.

Iola sat down next to him. "Would you like to tell me what's wrong? Maybe I can help you," she said earnestly to him.

Joe, feeling totally upset about his argument with Frank, opened his mouth to say something, and then immediately shut it. He had promised Frank that he wouldn't say anything. Then again, he had just told Frank he'd be speaking with Callie, and Iola always HAD been trustworthy….

Finally, he met her eyes, and found himself taking her hand. "Iola? I'd like to tell you, but you have to promise me not to say anything."

Iola felt her heart beating wildly at Joe's touch, but she remained composed. "Of course. You know I'll be quiet," she said, sincerely. She squeezed his hand.

Taking a deep breath, Joe spent the next ten minutes telling Iola about everything he knew, including Frank's planned engagement. He ended with, "….so Callie's pregnant, and Frank feels obligated to marry her. What should I do?"

Iola almost gagged. Callie was pregnant? Frank was going to marry her? There was no way this could be true. She told him that.

"It IS true, Iola." Joe's eyes pleaded with her to understand.

"Oh, Joe…" Iola managed, flustered. "I'll help you think of something." They continued to talk.

When Callie and Frank hadn't returned after nearly an hour, Iola decided to bid Joe good night and head over to her room next door. Opening the door a crack, she looked in, and found Frank sitting on the edge of the bed, next to a seemingly sleeping Callie. He was holding her hand.

As Iola was about to close the door, she saw Frank lean over and kiss Callie's forehead. She also heard him whisper, softly, "Good-night, Callie. I'm so sorry, baby. You'll pull through—I know you will. We'll get through this together. I love you."

Iola closed the door and pretended to just get there as Frank exited the room. With barely a glance at her, he left. Iola entered her room, in shock. Joe had been right. Callie _was_ pregnant.

What were they going to do?!


	12. Chapter 12

_As promised!!!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 12

The next morning, Joe and Frank sat in their room ready to begin the day. Frank had called over to Callie's room, and had been informed that the girls would be ready in about ten minutes. Frank checked his watch, and glanced out of the corner of his eye at his brother. He was still shocked by Joe's comments from the day before. All these years, he'd put up with Callie and Joe bickering, and he had known that it was both of them who instigated the fights. Since their most recent case, though, and as he and Callie had grown closer, Frank had always sensed that his brother and his girlfriend really did care about each other, despite their outward displays to the contrary. Now, he was totally shocked and bitterly disappointed in his brother. Callie needed not only _him_ to be there for her, but the support of her friends and family. And, now that Joe had the opportunity to help Callie, he was turning his back on her. He couldn't forgive that.

Frank bit his lip as he stared out the window. Callie was ill, although she was demonstrating tremendous strength that he didn't know that he would have. He tried to ignore it, but he knew the doctor's results from the biopsy were only a few days away, and he could think of little else. He knew he wasn't giving his all to this case, and that he needed to; but somehow, when faced with the foreboding and horrific idea that he really could lose the girl he loved, nothing else seemed important. Frank watched the clouds sail by and the rushes of the wind through the trees outside, and choked back tears knowing that, in a few days, he might never see life this way again, so innocent and pure.

Joe, meanwhile, watched his brother. He wanted to speak with him; to apologize for mouthing off last night, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Frank needed some guidance, and Joe was prepared to give it. He knew what marriage and a child could do to his brother's life, and he couldn't understand why Frank was being so tight-lipped about it, and so close-minded. If, after REALLY thinking about it and planning a viable solution, Frank still decided he wanted to go ahead with this, then so be it. But Frank was acting like he had already decided to go ahead with this thing because he had to—and, in the end, Joe really feared that his brother's, not to mention Callie's, life, would be ruined by a poor decision.

He plopped back on the bed. He just wished he could talk to his brother; but Frank's reaction to his words last night really threw him, and he couldn't read his brother. That was, to him, the most frightening thing of all.

There was a knock on the door. Joe got up to answer it, and found Iola and Callie standing there.

"Hi," he said to them, looking specifically at Iola. Somehow, he couldn't meet Callie's eyes. He didn't know why.

At that moment, Frank came up to them and gave Callie a quick hug. He turned to his brother.

"Joe," he said, as he kept an expressionless face. "Here's the plan. Callie and I will go to the home of the Wilkins family. It's about an hour's drive from here, so we'll take the car. We'll also check out the home of Chris Ramses, who lived about a half an hour from Wilkins' home before he died. You and Iola go to the Smith home. Find out any information that you can regarding the last time that he was in contact with his family members. I know this has all been done before, but we need to verify everything. Remember, Smith was a computer expert. Our guy, Ramses, was also into computers, and Wilkins was an architecture expert. Again, we'll take the car, since the homes of our guys are further away. You take the "EL" or a cab, since Smith's home is only about fifteen minutes from here."

"Fine," Joe replied. He didn't care to argue at this point.

"While you're at it," Frank continued, "For the heck of it, check out Shelley Butler's home. He was the literature buff. He lived about five minutes from the Smiths. Here's his address." Frank handed over a sheet of paper to Iola, who, glancing at Joe, took it.

"Why do we have to go to two places? AND, what good is going to Butler's home? He was the guy who was a literature scholar, I know, but he's dead. And, our father put him away." Joe wanted to at least have a clue as to why he should even bother with this.

Frank looked agitated, and Callie lightly touched his arm. Surprised, he looked at her and forgot his anger for a moment. Callie took the opportunity to speak. "Joe, when you go to both houses, just like when Frank and I go to ours, you obviously can't identify yourself as 'Hardy.' That's probably the key word that will make the families NOT speak with you. I'm sure you knew that, though." Callie smiled at Joe, glad to have been able to pre-empt an argument. Whatever was going on between Frank and Joe, it wasn't good.

Joe, however, totally misinterpreted Callie's intention. He replied, sarcastically, "_Obviously,_ Callie. Right. I'm sure you had faith in my detection abilities, as always. Come on, Iola, let's go." He grabbed her hand, and half-dragged her out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Now, he was determined to solve this case first, and on his own. He'd show Frank that he was just as capable as him, and that Frank couldn't solve a case when he wasn't thinking correctly. _Maybe that will make him start to think about the direction his life is headed,_ Joe thought to himself.

Left behind in the room, Frank felt the color rush to his cheeks. How _dare _Joe speak to Callie that way! He was getting ready to go after his brother when he felt Callie's hand on his shoulder.

"Don't, Frank," she said to him, quietly but sternly.

"He can't…" Frank began, but he was cut off instantly.

"Look, Frank. I don't know what's troubling you now, and why you're fighting with Joe. If you want to tell me, fine. If you don't, that's okay, too. I've never asked you to betray a confidence with him. However, we _are _here to solve a case. Three armed robberies, of a very bizarre nature, have occurred. Your dad might have a lead. If he's right, which he generally is, then you might be in danger, and that's not… good… with me. So drop it with Joe, okay? We have a long trip to take, and we need to think of something to say to these families. Let's go." She headed out the doorway.

Frank stared after her. She was right. If Callie could concentrate on a case right now, with everything else going on, then so could he. A sudden thought hit him; he needed this case, and he would solve it. Frank swallowed, hard. If he could concentrate on this case, then he could NOT think about Callie. The case was his link to sanity right now. At once, the need to crack it dominated his thoughts, and he felt a calming energy come over him. For the moment, the only problems that existed for him were external.

Callie waited for him in the hallway. "You okay?" she asked.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he nodded. "Yup. We're going to find some answers today, do you know that?" He was totally convinced of his own words.

"I think Joe is, too," she responded.

Frank's face clouded over. "Well, we're going to find them first."

Callie glanced at her boyfriend, and noticed the look on his face and his unusually child-like reply to her statement. She shook her head as they reached the car. Frank opened the door for her, and then went around to the driver's side. As they began to drive, Callie gently placed her hand over Frank's.

"We may find answers, honey, but you and Joe need to find each other again. I have a bad feeling abut this whole thing."

Frank, hearing Callie, ignored the tugging in his heart.

"Frank?" She questioned again.

Putting himself solely into "detective mode," he stared straight ahead, leaving Callie's unanswered statement hanging in the air. He knew she was right, and that he really might be on his own in this one. He'd never solved a case alone, and he was worried.

Gently, Frank squeezed her hand in return. "It'll be all right," he said to her, keeping his eyes on the road.

With an inward sigh, Callie could only hope that he was right.


	13. Chapter 13

_Thanks so much for your kind reviews. Sorry about the delay in updating—holidays have been busy! I will post 2 chapters today to make up for it! _

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 13

Callie and Frank arrived at the home of Jeremy Wilkins close to an hour after they had started out. As they pulled into the driveway, Callie tried to fight back the feeling of nausea that was beginning to come over her. She faced the air conditioning vents on her and waited to cool down. She was also trying not to panic as she blinked her eyes and the double vision that she'd been experiencing kept coming on and off. Trying to remain calm, she reached into her purse and pulled out the pair of prescription glasses that her parents had forced her to get. They helped… a little. She still had to concentrate very hard to focus, and she didn't feel well at all. Still, she wasn't about to let Frank see that.

Frank had decided, meanwhile, that the best course of action was to be as realistic as possible. No one would believe that he was a cop. Although he planned on changing his last name, since clearly he wouldn't be welcome, he figured that he and Callie could pull off being reporters for a college newspaper. Together, Frank thought they had a pretty decent chance of getting at least some information.

Turning to his girlfriend, he was surprised at the fact hat she was wearing glasses. She looked a bit more pale than normal as well, and Frank was alarmed at once.

"Cal? What's the matter?" He asked, turning to her. "Are you sick? We can turn around right now."

Callie met his eyes and controlled her sickness to the best of her ability. "I'm fine. Let's go," she said curtly.

"Callie…"

"Frank. Really, I'm okay. Let's get to business." She opened the car door, and felt a little better as the fresh air hit her.

Together, Callie and Frank walked up to the door of the Wilkins' home. Callie knocked slowly. To the surprise of both Frank and Callie, the door opened at once, and an older woman answered it. She had a scowl on her face.

Frank began to speak. "Mrs. Wilkins, I presume?" he asked.

"Who wants to know?" was the reply. Callie couldn't help but to notice the slightest trace of a smirk on the woman's face.

"I'm Frank, and this is my friend, Callie. We're reporters from…"

He was interrupted at once, as the old woman smiled. Callie felt chills run down her spine. She didn't like this a bit. The old woman spoke. "Don't lie. I know who you are. I figured you'd get here sooner or later. You're Fenton Hardy's kid; the older one, I think."

Frank and Callie looked at one another, stunned. Neither of them knew what to do.

"Come in," she offered.

"Um, well, okay," Frank replied. Out of the corner of his eye, Frank caught the look on Callie's face, and noticed that she looked hesitant. As Frank was about to follow Wilkins into the home, he stopped as he heard Callie's voice.

"Mrs. Wilkins? Why do you want us in your home? Clearly, Frank's dad was responsible for putting your son in prison. Maybe it's not a good idea that we're here."

Mrs. Wilkins stared at Callie for a moment, and then chuckled softly. Callie swallowed hard. It was not a friendly sound. The old woman turned to her.

"Perhaps you're right, my dear. We can speak here. You don't even have to tell me why you're here. I know about the robberies in the jewelry stores, and I know you suspect my son. Well, you're wrong—dead wrong. It's not him, I can assure you of that. But I will say this—you WILL suffer for what you did to my son, and your entire family will pay for it. Wait—the time is close at hand."

Frank was shocked. "Wh… what do you mean? Have you heard from your son? Has he been in contact with you? This is an ongoing investigation, and with-holding evidence can be considered a federal…"

The door slammed shut before Frank could finish his sentence.

He was about to knock on it again when Callie caught his arm. "Don't, Frank. I suspect that we won't get any more answers out of her. She's clearly hiding something, but I don't think she'll tell us. Let's go." She turned around to the car, taking deep breaths and trying to focus. Her legs felt wobbly, and she just wanted to sit down. Reaching the car, Callie got in and closed her eyes. She felt the beginning of a headache coming on. _Not again_, she prayed silently.

Moments later, she heard the door open and Frank get in. She struggled to remain calm and focused as she looked at him. "Frank, you're in danger. I don't know how that woman knew you were coming here, but something's up."

Frank was puzzled, too, as he started the engine. "I wouldn't worry too much about her, Callie. She hates my father, obviously, so she'd probably say anything to try and put a scare into us. It is weird, though, that she knew I was coming. That means she has to be in contact with her son."

"She swore it wasn't him," Callie replied, weakly.

"I know." Frank looked at Callie more closely and felt his heart skip a beat. She was sick—he just _felt _it. Before he pulled out of the driveway, he reached over and tenderly stroked her hair. "We can go home now, Cal. I think we should."

Callie gave him a small smile. "Nope. We still have the family of a dead man to go and visit. Now, I'll really be concerned if you think that family is in touch with Chris Ramses. He'd be a real "wizard" then," Callie joked faintly, making a pun of his nickname.

Frank couldn't argue with her. Callie was doing what she wanted to; she always had. With a small sigh, he leaned over and gave Callie a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. "Okay, Cal. Let's go."

"Thanks," she replied to him, before closing her eyes.

"You're welcome," he answered her, sadly.

Callie gave a small thumbs up sign, and Frank choked back the lump forming in his throat as he drove to the next destination.

Almost forty minutes later, Frank pulled into the street besides Chris Ramses' former home. Looking over at Callie, he realized that she had fallen asleep, and he was glad. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that Callie was hurting much more than she was letting on. Frank left the car on and the air conditioner running. _Concentrate on this case, Frank, _he told himself. _That's all you have left._

With one last quick glance to check on Callie, he walked up to the door and knocked. After several minutes, a little girl answered the door. Frank had to smile. She couldn't have been more than five years old, and she had dark curly hair and big brown eyes. She was adorable. He almost forgot what a dangerous place this could potentially be. Bending down to her, he said, "Hello there."

She looked up at him and smiled, two dimples coming to her cheeks. "Hi," she said.

"Is Mommy or Daddy at home?" he asked her.

She nodded, and ran back into the house. A minute later, a young woman in her mid-twenties stepped out and smiled at Frank. "Well, hey there," she said in a thick Boston accent. "I see you parked your car by the driveway there. Can I help you?"

Frank liked her; he didn't know why. With her thick accent, it sounded more like "PAK the CAH," and she looked innocent enough. Frank shook himself out of it. He'd been around long enough to know that looks were often deceiving.

"Um, ma'am? I'm sorry to bother you," he began.

"No bother, honey," she finished.

Frank smiled. "Are you Mrs. Ramses by any chance?"

Her smile fell. "No, honey, I'm not. My name is Georgia Tracey, and the little girl you met is my daughter, Rosa."

"She's adorable," Frank said, sincerely. "Can I ask you why you looked upset a minute ago? I was looking for the home of a family that goes by the name of Ramses. I guess it's possible I got the wrong address. If so, I apologize."

The woman sighed. "No—you have the right address. Actually, you HAD it. We moved in here about a year ago. The house was pretty much abandoned. Apparently, the person who owned the home prior to this was killed in prison or something. Some stuff was left behind, but most of the stuff here was taken off by family members prior to my family moving in."

"Oh," Frank said. "I see."

"It's just that…" she began, and her voice trailed off.

"Yes?" Frank questioned. "Please, I'm working on an investigation regarding Chris Ramses, and I'm just trying to find out some facts. Anything you might have to offer would be a great help." He saw no reason to lie to her.

"Well, in the past month or so, I've been bothered by a lot of people looking for information on Ramses. One guy even asked to look through a box of old belongings left by Ramses."

"Did he identify himself?" Frank asked, trying not to look too anxious.

"Well, yes, honey. He said he was an old friend, and I saw no harm in letting him have some of that old stuff. It was just taking up space."

"What did he take? Please, it's important that you remember."

The young woman narrowed her eyes in concentration. "Well, funny you should ask. There were lots of old photo albums, which I thought a friend would want, along with personal belongings. But all this man took was a small box of computer disks and …"

"And?" Frank prodded.

"Some sort of gold medallion. It creeped me out. He said his friend died wearing it, and he asked to have it."

Frank sucked in his breath. Something was wrong with this picture. "Do you remember what he looked like?"

"Normal looking guy. Brown hair and eyes, I think. Maybe hazel eyes."

"And this was about a month ago?"

"Yup."

Frank heard crying from inside the house, and the young woman smiled apologetically. "I have to go, honey. That's really all I can tell you. I have a little one inside who needs attending to."

She headed inside. Before she went indoors, Frank got her attention one last time. "Ma'am?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"You didn't happen to remember a name, did you?"

She smiled at Frank. "Actually, yes. It just came to me now that you asked. He said his name was Fenton Hardy." She went inside and closed the door.

Frank stood staring in shock after her.


	14. Chapter 14

_As promised!!!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 14

"Well, that was a success," Joe Hardy said sarcastically to Iola Morton as he sat next to her in the cab. They had just come back from the home of Robert Smith, one of the computer experts on the team of thieves. He hadn't been surprised that when attempting to speak with Smith's wife, she had been totally uncooperative. Despite lying about his last name, she had given no information as to her husband's whereabouts, and she continued to deny that she had spoken with or been in contact with him.

Iola glanced at Joe, and tried to cheer him up. She said, "Joe, try not to be discouraged. I mean, we knew right off the bat that this woman is obviously protective of her husband. If she _has_ heard from him, she wouldn't tell us. That's what you do for someone, you love, I guess. I'd do it for…" She cut herself off, right before she completed her thought. Blushing, she realized that had been too close.

Joe turned to Iola, sensing that she was about to tell him something important. Still, he could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't about to go any further with what was on her mind. Despite this, he decided to re-play their trip to the Smiths before they arrived at the Butler 's. "Iola?" he began. "I understand what you're saying about the wife being protective of the husband. But there was just something… I don't know… weird… about her reaction when we first came. I mean, it's nothing she said or did, but I … never mind. This probably sounds like Greek to you." He gave her a tight smile. Only Frank would normally know how to help prod him along in his thoughts, and Frank, unfortunately, was not really in the picture at this point.

To his surprise, Iola didn't give up on him. "No, Joe, I know what you mean. It's almost like she knew…" Iola paused, searching for the right words.

Joe picked it up instantly, as if he could read her mind. "Yeah! It's almost like she knew we were lying, didn't she? She almost seemed to enjoy telling us that nothing was her son's fault, but that … you know… he would get his revenge someday." Joe became animated. He had forgotten how nice it was to have someone with whom he was so deeply connected to help him along.

Iola gave him a small grin. "Yup—I got that feeling, too." She wrinkled her nose at him playfully. "Feel better now?" she asked.

Joe laughed. "Yeah, I do. I guess we're almost at Shelley Butler's home. Maybe we'll have more luck there. Well, at least I hope so. I mean, the guy's dead, and I really don't see the point of checking this out. But you know Frank…." Joe's voice faltered as he realized what he'd said. Even _he _didn't know Frank anymore. He missed working with his brother a lot. Even more, he missed just having him around.

Iola noted the change in Joe's demeanor, and knew she had to cheer him up. They were almost at the house. "Well, Joseph, there's no harm in checking things out. Besides, you can walk away knowing something from this stop."

Joe, curious, looked at her. "What's that?" he asked.

Iola replied with a straight face, "Well, in this case, the _butler _definitely did _not _do it."

Joe burst out laughing, the momentary lapse into melancholy temporarily forgotten. He loved Iola's corny sense of humor; that was one bond that they shared that very few people could understand, much less tolerate. Reaching over to her, he impulsively gave her a hug. "Thanks. I needed that," he said to her.

Iola hugged him back. As they pulled away from each other, their eyes momentarily met, their lips only inches apart from each other. There was a heart-stopping moment when time seemed to stand still. Their faces tilted towards each other; they slowly moved in each other's direction.

"HONK!" The loud noise caused them to jump apart from each other, both of their faces flaming red.

"We're here, people," the cabbie muttered in a grouchy fashion. "Um, uh… thanks," Joe said, fumbling for money. "Can you please wait here? This shouldn't take long."

"Yes. Hurry, please," he responded.

Joe jumped out of the cab, Iola following behind him. He could feel his heart beating a mile a minute. _Oh, God, what was I thinking? _ he asked himself, angrily. Luckily, nothing had happened between them, but Joe knew that wasn't an excuse. Had it not been for the cab driver, something _would _have happened. Joe clenched his hands tightly. He would _not _cheat on Vanessa; he loved her so much. Rubbing his temple as he walked up to the Butler home, he realized that he would have to clear his feelings for Iola up once and for all, before he got himself into a lot of trouble.

Iola, trailing behind, held back tears. She felt humiliated and ashamed. She liked Vanessa, and she wouldn't hurt her. Despite her feelings for Joe, she knew it could never work out with them; not now, at least. Even though Joe was giving her mixed signals, she knew she couldn't fall into that trap_. Besides_, she thought warily, _I'm probably giving off some mixed signals myself._ Nervously, she clutched her purse, needing something, other than Joe, to hold onto.

At the doorway, Joe mumbled, "Let me handle this," as he continued to look at the ground. He couldn't meet Iola's eyes.

"Mmm hmm," he heard her murmur in response.

After a few moments, the door was opened by a woman in her mid-thirties.

"Mrs. Butler?" Joe questioned, getting himself together.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

Joe took a deep breath. Okay, this didn't look horrible so far. At least she hadn't kicked him out yet. Slowly, he began. "Mrs. Butler, my name is Joe…" He paused, remembering that he hadn't even bothered to make up a name. "Um, Bender. Joe Bender." Joe sighed. Well, at least Vanessa would have been happy, as stupid as he sounded at the moment.

The woman raised her eyebrow. "Yes, Mr. Bender?" she asked.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you, ma'am," he began. "I'm with the Boston College _Sentinel, _and we're thinking about doing a story on your husband's … career… before his untimely death. We were thinking about taking an angle that your husband was unjustly killed by prison officials, and we'd appreciate it if you could talk to me about it for a few moments." Joe hoped she would buy that story, as he tried to make it appear that he was on her side.

The woman laughed. "Mr… Bender, was it? My husband is very much alive. However, my _brother _is here. I mean, he _was _here."

Joe blushed. "Sorry about the mistake," he muttered.

She smiled again. Iola watched her, and couldn't shake the bad feeling she was getting watching this woman's reaction to Joe. It was the same bad feeling that she had gotten when they had been at the Smiths.

"Look," the woman said, suddenly turning hostile. "There's nothing I want to tell you that I'm sure you don't already know, or _think _you know." She looked pointedly at Joe, and he got the feeling that there was some hidden message in her words. She went on. "My brother isn't here now, and I suspect that you're here due to the recent national robberies that have taken place that follow the same pattern as those that my brother once committed. I suggest that you see the people who are…in this world… they'd have better answers for you."

"B… but…" Joe stuttered, looking for the right words.

She met his eyes, and he knew- he just _knew_- that she wasn't telling him the total truth about something. He let her finish, though. "You want a clue, a nice, HEARTY one? A few days ago, a man came in to take some of Shelley's old literature books, out of the blue. He also took the gold medallion that Shelley was wearing when he died. He was a friend of Shelley's, apparently. Isn't that strange?" she said, sardonically. "And here you were, wondering if you'd get any information whether I've been in touch with Shelley's friends who made it out. The answer to that is a resounding 'no.' But ponder the book thing- somehow, I have a feeling you like playing detective."

She slammed the door.

Joe turned to Iola. "Do you think…" he began.

Iola answered him before he could complete the thought. "Yeah. I don't know how or why, but that woman, and the Smith woman, knew exactly who you were."

Joe's face turned stony. Turning to Iola, and guiding her back to the cab, he said, "They sure did. Why else would she tell me that about the books? And offer to give me a 'hearty' clue, which is so close to my last name?"

Iola added to the thought. "And why else would she say that you liked to play detective?"

Joe sighed, as he opened the door to the cab for Iola. He tried not to think about what had almost taken place there before. "I really don't know what's going on, Iola, but I do know one thing." He hated to say it, but he had to. "I need to speak to my brother, because I need his help on this."

Iola was concerned. "I think that's a good idea, Joe, but do you think he can concentrate on anything, with the engagement and the pregnancy and all?"

Joe met her eyes. "Which you DON"T know about," he reminded her.

Iola was insulted. "I said I wouldn't talk, Joe, and I won't. Thanks for the trust, though. I appreciate that."

"Iola, I'm sorry," he said. He didn't need to fight with her, too.

Iola's frustration and anger, as well as her hurt, surfaced as they drove away. "Joe," she said, "You better watch who you alienate from your life. I think you should talk to Frank, maybe Vanessa," she choked out the name, "but not to me, since obviously you can't or won't trust me."

"I said I was sorry," Joe said, surprised.

Iola glared at him as she fought back tears. "Oh, okay," she said, sarcastically. "I guess we should kiss and make up then." She turned away.

Joe, shocked and guilty, had no response, either.

Waiting to meet up with Frank and Callie, the two rode in silence back to the hotel.


	15. Chapter 15

_Thanks, Melissa, for your reviews! Hope you continue to like the story. As always, any reviews are appreciated. Three chapters in one day- woo hoo! Happy holidays!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 15

Back at the hotel, Frank paced nervously in his room, waiting for his brother to get back. He was still trying to fathom the last piece of information he had been told. How could the person who had visited Ramses be Fenton Hardy? He _knew_, without a doubt, that his father couldn't be involved in this case. That, and the fact that Wilkins' mother had known who he was, was making him very nervous. Nothing in this case seemed to be making sense.

Frank's attention was diverted for a moment as he heard a low moan. Turning around, he stopped pacing for a moment and faced Callie. She was lying down on Frank's bed, pillows propped behind her head. Concerned, Frank sat next to her and took her hand.

Weakly, Callie smiled at him. "Hey," she murmured.

"Hey, yourself. How are you feeling?" Frank asked, knowing the answer already.

"I'm…" Callie began, but Frank cut her off.

"I know. You're okay. You're _always _okay." Frank released her hand, and walked to the window, trying to gain control before he looked at her again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Callie asked, and Frank could hear the shock and anger in her voice, mixed in with the weakness from her obvious pain.

Taking a deep breath, Frank tried to ignore the feeling of helplessness and fear present in his chest. He turned to her, slowly, and walked back over to the bed, where Callie was now attempting to sit up and continue their discussion. Seeing her struggle, he gently caught her arm, and then sat beside her on the bed. He slipped an arm around her shoulders, and carefully pulled her next to him. Silently, he kissed her forehead, and said, softly, "I'm sorry, Callie."

"Me, too," she answered, and, surprised, he looked at her.

"What on earth for?" he asked.

"For being here," she responded, resting her head on Frank's shoulder. "I… I shouldn't have come. You were right. I mean, I love helping you, and this case is unbelievably challenging, but…" her voice broke as she tried to hold back tears, "But I can't do it. I'm… so _scared_, Frank. I … I can't see right, and my head hurts _so badly _sometimes, and I feel sick, and…" Finally, Callie had to stop. If she continued like this, she knew she'd break down. And she was afraid that if she started crying, she'd never stop. Still, she felt her lips tremble, and a few tears did manage to escape, which she quickly wiped away.

Looking at her, Frank felt his own eyes begin to sting, and he had to swallow hard and fight back the horrible lump in his throat. Reaching around her, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and rocked her back and forth, gently rubbing the back of her neck. "I know, baby," was all he could manage to say. It was getting harder and harder to keep his composure, and he couldn't even fathom his reaction if the news came back bad.

Finally, after holding her for a few minutes, he said quietly to her, "Why don't you go to your room and try to sleep for a while? I'm right here if you need anything, anything at all. Joe will be back soon, and I don't want him to wake you."

Callie looked up at Frank, and was surprised to see the deep pain present in his eyes. She felt a twinge in her heart. _He doesn't deserve all this angst_, she said to herself, and resolved to avoid moments of vulnerability in the future, if possible. She nodded at him, and managed a small smile. "I think you're right. I'll go. I want to encourage you, though, not to fight with Joe. Please, Frank. You need each other to get to the bottom of this case. I know it must be killing you not to tell him about me, but in a few more days, all that will be over."

Frank leaned down and kissed her softly. He didn't have the heart to tell her that Joe already knew. Helping Callie up, he walked her to her room, and made sure she was okay as she lay down. He wanted to tell her he loved her, that he'd do anything to take away her pain, and that he truly wished beyond anything that this was happening to him and not to her. But, as he looked at her, he realized that she knew all that already. So, he did the only thing he could think of.

"Hey," he said to her, before she closed her eyes.

"Mmm?" she responded, looking up at him.

"High five?" he asked through blurry eyes.

Reaching up to touch his hand, she whispered back, "high five." Then, at a second thought, she added, still holding onto his hand, "Now make-up with Joe or you're going to get a high five across the face!" She smiled at him.

Frank laughed through his tears. "Okay, Callie. I can't argue with you." He winked at her, kissed her good-bye, and headed back to his room, feeling like bursting into tears. He didn't, though, for two reasons. First, he'd never been a crier in his whole life, and he was pretty good about controlling his emotions. Second, and more importantly, because he found his brother and Iola waiting in the room, and he wasn't about to break down in front of them.

Iola, sensing the tension in the room, quickly excused herself, and the two brothers stood facing each other. Frank, looking at Joe, could only feel the hurt over Joe's earlier reaction and words about Callie. Still, he tried to remember his promise to Callie to make up with Joe. On the other hand, Joe tried to mask his shock as he looked at Frank, who looked visibly distraught.

Clearing his throat, Joe said, "Um, Frank, I'm…uh… you know… before… maybe I was wro… well, not totally THAT… but, you know, I guess I'm sor… well, you know what I'm trying to say."

Despite everything, Frank managed a small smile. "Actually, Joe, I have _no idea _what you're trying to say," he said.

Joe, relieved, felt a smile come to his lips as well. "Are we, um, friends again?"

Frank managed a small laugh. He replied, mocking Joe's earlier style, "Joe, we're not in the fifth grade. We'll always be friends; you're my brother. You know…um… how I feel about you… that I... um... love… well, not THAT exactly... you know what I'm saying?"

Joe snorted out loud. "Shut up, Frank!" He went over and gave his brother a hug. He was a little surprised when Frank held on just an instant longer than necessary. He chose not to pursue it; he was treading thin ice as it was.

Frank sat down on the bed, happy to have Joe back, but still utterly confused about Joe's earlier reaction to Callie. He'd handle THAT later, though. "So," he said at last, "How was your day? Because man, do I have a lot to tell you!"

"You do? Me, too!" Joe exclaimed.

"Well," Frank began, "You go first. You're always one for blurting things out."

Joe ignored the jibe, and proceeded to tell Frank about everything that had happened that day with the Butlers and the Smiths. As he spoke, he watched as Frank's eyes grew wide. "Isn't that bizarre?" Joe finished.

"Joe, you have no idea how bizarre it is." He went on to inform Joe about his similar experience, and Joe's face registered the shock he felt.

At the conclusion of his speech, Frank looked at his brother. "Okay, Joe, I think we need to lay out what we KNOW here. What do you say?"

"Yeah, I agree. You're more organized, so you write it down," Joe answered.

Frank took out a piece of paper and a pen from the nearby drawer, and made two columns as he spoke with Joe.

"Okay," he started. "We know there have been three robberies so far.

Bayport, NY- (Yeats Jewelers) rubies were taken. That took place around 10:30.

Radley, Pennsylvania- (Eliot's Jewelers) amethysts were taken. That was at 11:00, I think.

Idaria, West Virginia.-(Larkin's Jewelers) Sapphires were taken, but only a rare type called an Iolite. That was at…."

"That was at 11:30," Joe finished, seeing the pattern already. "Frank-"

"I see it," Frank finished. "The robberies have taken place a half an hour after one another. That fits the pattern dad told us about on the case he cracked with these guys, only in that case, it was 45 minutes apart."

Joe was getting excited. "Okay, cool. But do you have any idea WHY these types of stones?"

"None," Frank conceded. "But don't get ahead of yourself. What else do we KNOW for a fact?"

Joe paused, then began. "The movement appears away from New York, which doesn't make sense if the guys are after us."

"Joe," Frank warned, "one thing at a time."

Joe sighed. He admired his brother's patience, although he wished he had gotten some of it himself. "I know, Frank. Fine. We know the movement is west- happy?"

Frank smiled, and said, "Yup."

Joe rolled his eyes, but continued. "We also know that the robberies have taken place in daylight, and that a hostage, a small child, has been a victim each one. Which is…"

"Which is again consistent with dad's old case," Frank finished for him. "Then, we know that no alarms were sounded, which means it was pre-meditated, obviously, and that no safe's were broken into."

"Don't forget," Joe added, "The "totowas" license plate with the rainbow colored or muddy-whichever- color, and the fact that the getaway car was an Oldsmobile Toronado. Plus, there were two guys, and at least one driving the car."

Frank contemplated all of this. Joe could practically see the engines going in Frank's brain. "Okay," Frank began slowly, "I think there's a definite connection to dad's old case."

Joe stared at him a moment, and then burst out laughing. "THAT's your deduction?" he asked. "I could have told you that ages ago."

"ANYWAY," Frank said, ignoring his brother's teasing, "Then we have the threat against us and dad. Now, today, the Wilkins' family told Callie and I that they knew who I was, and that basically revenge would come to us. She did swear, though, that she hadn't been in touch with her son, not that I necessarily believe her. Then, we went to the Ramses home. Of course, he's dead, but that's not the problem. The woman there told me that someone, who goes by dad's name, was recently at her house, and got a bunch of disks, which would make sense since he was a "whiz" at computers, apparently."

"You also said that he took the gold medallion that was on Ramses' body when he died," Joe reminded his brother.

"True," Frank replied.

"And," Joe added, "When Iola and I went to the Smith home, it was like your experience. I got the distinct impression that she knew who I was, like she was expecting me. And then, the Butler home was bizarre. Clearly, the woman was on to me, and told me that a guy stopped by to pick up books recently. Of course, Butler is dead, but that was a hint for some reason."

"PLUS," Frank continued, animated, "they all knew about the robberies. It's not like this is national news. Even the police didn't make the connection yet."

Joe had missed that, and he was impressed by Frank's quick-thinking.

Joe spoke. "So here's our problem, big brother. If they're after us, why are the crimes going west? Why haven't we been threatened? Why did these people know about the robberies, and why do they know about us?"

Frank continued on. "And where will they strike next? What type of jewelry will they take, and why is that important? AND, if they threatened the world's greatest heist, why all of these silly little robberies? Something is here, Joe, and we're missing it."

At that moment, Joe's cell phone rang. He picked it up on the third ring. "Hello?" he said.

"Joe? It's Dad."

"Dad! What's up, dude?"

"EXCUSE ME?" Fenton said loudly into the phone. Joe sighed.

"Sorry," he replied. "What is news-worthy, Father?"

Now Fenton sighed, exasperated. "Why couldn't I have gotten Frank?" he asked his son.

Joe smiled. "Well, 'cause you called _my_ cell phone," he replied, laughing. He knew he was driving his father crazy, but he liked to do that on occasion.

"Joe, I'm going to ignore you. The reason I called was because of the computer monitoring system we set up before you and your brother left for Boston. By the way, any progress?"

"Some," Joe answered, truthfully.

"Well, good," Fenton replied. "Because I may have another lead for you. At 12:00 today, in Charlestown, Missouri, there was another robbery. It seems to fit the usual pattern to a "T". This time, only natural pearls were stolen, and the cultured ones were ignored. Strange, eh? It's at a place called Lee's Jewelers. I just thought you might be interested."

Joe suddenly became serious. "We are, Dad. Thanks. And we'll be home tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Joseph."

"Later."

"Ahem."

"I mean, goodbye Dad," Joe finished.

"That's better. Love you."

"Me, too."

Joe hung up the phone, and turned to his brother. "Well, Frank, it happened again. The time frame is right." He repeated his father's news.

Frank's face became serious. "I guess in a day or two, we're headed out to Missouri."

Joe met his brother's eyes. "I guess so."

They continued talking long into the night, hoping to gain any more insight into the case, and preparing for a journey that they both knew, deep down, would not be good.


	16. Chapter 16

_Thanks to Melissa and Alicia for your wonderful reviews. It's nice to know that some people are reading! Hope everyone has a great holiday! There are two chapters up today!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 16

Two days later, Frank, Joe, and Vanessa found themselves at a small motel in the heart of Charlestown, Missouri. Frank sat quietly by himself, mulling over the local newspapers that had covered the robbery from a few days ago. Like many of the other small towns that had been hit, Charlestown was rather nondescript and had an unusually low crime rate. Still, he searched through the article, hoping to find any clues that he could before they would all head over to Lee's Jeweler's themselves in a little while to do some personal investigating.

As Frank's eyes wandered over the page, he found himself idly highlighting important facts and times. He knew that this case was bizarre, and that it could potentially be very dangerous, since somehow, it looked as though their father's old case was, in fact, now theirs. If that was the case, even though the threats appeared to be moving _away _from the boys, they still had to be careful. Frank sighed. He'd never _gone looking _for threats before! Still, he hated being on this case right now. Callie was back at home, in Bayport, and within a day or so, she'd find out the news. As he thought about it, Frank felt his hands quiver slightly. He should be there right now for her; instead, he was pursing a case that he didn't even know for certain had anything to do with him or his family. With a heavy heart, Frank focused on the case at hand, realizing that he really didn't care very much about it at all.

Joe meanwhile, sat outside with Vanessa, caring very much about the case for his own reasons. As he looked at Vanessa, he felt a slight twinge come to his heart. Whatever had gone on between him and Iola, he knew he had to tell her about. He had almost lost her once; he wasn't about to lose her again.

Vanessa caught him staring. "Um, Joe? Is there something the matter? We really ought to discuss when we're going to the police station."

Joe sighed, and turned to her. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. He couldn't bring himself to tell her; at least, not yet.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes slightly, sensing that something was on Joe's mind. Slowly, she got up, crossed the space between them, and sat down on his lap, putting her arm around him. "Okay, Hardy, what's up?" she asked. " I know something's bothering you, so you might as well spill it before I have to beat it out of you." She winked at him to let him know she was only kidding.

Joe gave her a small smile, and wrapped both his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder. He looked into her eyes, and, unexpectedly kissed her.

"Hey!" she giggled. "Nice try, but no can do. Seriously Joe, what's going on? Is this case bothering you?"

Joe let out a breath, slowly, and gave her a wry grin. "Yeah, sort of," he replied.

"Sort of what?" Vanessa prodded. She hated to see Joe like this, and if she could help him, she would.

Leaning back, Joe gently rubbed Vanessa's back as he spoke. "This case is something, huh?" he began. 'I hate being outwitted by my enemy. The frustrating thing is that I don't know if these guys are even my enemy, or if this is their form of psychological mind games, OR, worse yet, if we're on the totally wrong track and this case has nothing to do with us."

Vanessa listened, and then replied, "Hon, I think it's pretty clear that these guys have something to do with you, even though they're not directly after you. I don't totally get it, either, but that's what I think."

Joe laughed softly, and sighed. "AAAHH, Vanessa. Yep- I know exactly what you mean. Whatever happened to the days when the greatest mystery was who cheated on a test or something?" He gave her a rueful smile.

Vanessa playfully ruffled his hair. "You'll solve it, don't worry. By the way, what's going on with you and Frank? I mean, you're obviously still talking and all, but he seems—I don't know—still kinda out of sorts. Is he okay?" She stopped, and then met his eyes. "Are _you _okay?"

Joe paused. He knew he'd sworn not to say anything to anyone about Callie and what was going on, but he had already messed up and told Iola when he and Frank weren't speaking. What was the harm in telling Vanessa? He knew he could trust her completely.

With no drama, and acting totally straightforwardly, he blurted out to her, "Well, Frank's bummed out because he wants to get engaged to Callie because she's pregnant."

Vanessa almost fell off the chair. Standing up, she stuttered, "W… what? Are you out of your mind? That's crazy! Callie would have told me! She's one of my best friends! Oh My God!"

Joe stood, too, and started pacing. "Yeah—look, you have to promise not to say anything. Frank would kill me. He's still trying to decide what to do—you know, get married or… well, don't. I guess Callie still has _options_," he finished, emphasizing the last word. "Anyway, that's why they've both been so freaked out lately, and I guess why Callie's been sick. She's supposed to hear from the doctor in like a day or two to see if things are positive or negative, because I suppose initial tests can be wrong. Swear you won't say anything!"

Vanessa was utterly shocked. She managed. "My goodness! Oh, poor Callie!"

Joe was surprised. "Poor _Callie?_" he said, shocked. "Poor Frank! Look at what he's giving up!"

Vanessa, recovering from her initial reaction, was herself shocked upon hearing Joe's. "Joe!" she said forcibly to him. "I can't believe you'd say that. This is the hardest decision that she's ever going to have to make. Like it or not, Callie's stuck with this child if she decides to have it. There's nothing to say your brother has to stick around. I mean, it's the _right_ thing to do, but is Frank really capable of being that selfless? I don't know." Vanessa felt herself getting teary-eyed, and her voiced cracked a bit.

"Oh, Van," Joe said, taking her in his arms. "Don't be upset. The test might still come back negative. That's what we have to hope for. Besides, you don't know any of this, right?"

Vanessa clung to Joe for a moment, and then regained her composure. "You're right," she said at last. "I guess all we can do now is to concentrate on the case at hand."

"Yup," Joe said, wiping a tear from her eye. "That's all we can do."

At that moment, Frank came outside. Vanessa tried to avoid staring, knowing what she now did. Joe would kill her if she said anything. But why hadn't Callie talked to her?

"Ready to go, guys?" Frank asked. "I figure if we can talk to the jewelers, then we can verify that it was the same pattern. It certainly fits with the time frame, and the papers do indicate that only natural pearls were taken, so obviously these guys know their stuff. Now we just need to see…"

"If the license plate, car, number of people, hostage situation, and alarm situations all fit the pattern as well," Joe finished for his brother.

Frank smiled softly. "Yeah, that's right," he said.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooo

A few hours later, Frank, Joe, and Vanessa had completed their interviews with not only the jewelers, but with the local police as well. Everything had checked out- the Oldsmobile Toronado, the "Totowas" license plate, which they had managed to confirm _was _multi-colored, the little child who had been used as a shield, the natural pearls taken, the two masked men with the driver, and the dis- activated alarm. In addition, the time of the robbery had, in fact, been exactly one half-hour after the previous one.

Back at the motel, the three sat looking silently at one another, until Frank finally spoke up. "Joe, Vanessa," he started, "I have absolutely no clue as to what to do next. There's no rhyme or reason to this pattern and therefore I have no idea how or why these guys will strike next. And what if these are all little robberies? So what? I mean, it's bad and all, but it's not like anyone has been killed, or that dad or our family's been threatened. We should leave it alone, I'm beginning to think."

"We can't," Joe replied, trying to hide his shock. Frank had never given up on a case before. He continued, adamantly, "You know as well as I do that there IS a pattern here- we just haven't seen it yet. And, I'm sorry if you think these robberies have nothing to do with us, but I can't agree. There are too many hints to the contrary. And if we're chasing clues, who cares? There's a reason we're chasing after these guys, even if we don't know WHY yet."

Vanessa, listening to all of this, suddenly gasped. "I get it!" she managed.

The brothers turned to her. "Get what?" Joe asked.

"Don't you see?" she asked, animated. "Even though you don't know what the threat is or how it affects you, if you really believe that these guys are after you, then they must be."

"Your point?" Frank asked, dryly.

She looked at him, annoyed. "My point, FRANK, is that the robberies started in Bayport, where YOU and your family live. If the clues are leading AWAY from Bayport, these guys must know you'd be after them, right? So….." She looked at Joe directly. "Would you like to finish my thought?" she asked him.

"So," Joe exclaimed, seeing the light at last, "There's some sort of trap leading us away from Bayport on this trail intentionally."

"And THAT means," Frank continued, getting it at last, "That whatever is at the end of the road can't be good, because these guys want us away from home. So either they're planning to attack us somehow at home, or mom, dad, and aunt Gertrude when we're away, OR they're leading just you and me into something."

"This isn't good," Joe said, simply.

The others looked at him. More words weren't necessary.

"Well, what do we do now, then?" Vanessa asked.

"THAT is a very good question," Frank replied.

They looked at each other in silence.


	17. Chapter 17

_And a second chapter!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 17

Back in Bayport the next day, the boys decided to discuss the case with their father. They'd been given a lot of clues, and it was now a matter of putting them together. Although they didn't necessarily want to involve their father, they were beginning to run out of ideas. So, they sat down in their living room before dinner the following evening, where Frank just finished filling his father in on the developments they had discovered.

"Hmmm," Fenton said thoughtfully, once Frank had finished speaking. "This certainly seems to be the same pattern, or a similar pattern, at least, to the case I cracked."

"And they used your name, Dad," Frank reminded his father.

"Yeah, I definitely think that these guys were giving us clues for some reason. It's almost like they want us to pursue them. Vanessa came up with that," Joe added at the last moment.

Fenton smiled, and replied, "Well, Joe, it is an interesting idea that your girlfriend has, and I think there may be something to it." The smile then slowly disappeared as he continued. "But, if this is true, then you boys should, perhaps, lay off this case for a while. I'll certainly use any resources that I have to contact federal authorities, since the local police and detectives only have so much jurisdiction. Clearly, there's a pattern somewhere."

Frank felt troubled by this, and finally, clearing his throat, he cut in. "Dad. We're not getting off this case. We've come this far. Look, you should just be careful here while we go away and check these robberies out. Any help you could give, though, in terms of maybe interviewing the Wilkins or Smith families yet again, would be a help to us. Maybe the national computers can detect things we can't," Frank continued, with a sigh. "That is, if the government is even willing to help on this. I mean, these robberies aren't exactly serious."

Fenton reached over and gently touched Frank's shoulder. "Son," he said, "Your mother, aunt, and myself will be just fine. Worry about yourselves. I'll certainly pull strings; it was my case, after all, and you seem to have some new circumstantial evidence that these families are aware of the robberies and may be in contact with the men. If the government won't help, I have friends who will. AND," he added, as a final thought, "if these men are behind the robberies, that means that they will be leading you to something, and whatever that something is, it's serious. Remember, they promised the world's greatest heist. Please, be careful, and keep me informed."

"We will, Dad," Joe promised his father.

"Now," Fenton said, standing up, "dinner should be ready in a few minutes. Make sure you're upstairs. And, I should warn you-your aunt Gertrude made her cauliflower surprise to eat with mom's lamb, and you WILL eat it and compliment her on her effort. Do I make myself clear?"

Joe groaned. "Could the surprise part be that I toss it out the window when she isn't looking?" he asked, timidly.

Fenton laughed despite himself, and then quickly rearranged his face to look serious again. "No, Joseph, that cannot be the surprise. See you in a few." He turned, and ventured into the kitchen.

Left alone, Joe faced his brother. "Okay, Frank, so what do we do now?" he asked. "Anything to delay going to dinner is fine by me."

Frank gave Joe a small smile, but Joe could still see the sadness in his eyes, and he immediately wanted to help. "Um, have you heard the news from Callie's doctor yet?" he asked, hoping to get some sort of response from Frank.

His brother glanced at his watch. "No," he said, softly. "But her doctor keeps later hours in the summer, since he's in practice with a lot of people. So, maybe she'll hear tonight." Joe heard Frank's voice quiver a bit as he had finished his last sentence.

"It'll be okay, Frank. Really," Joe replied. He hated to see Frank hurting, and he had a feeling that the worst was still yet to come.

"Yeah, thanks," Frank responded, unable to meet his brother's eyes. He wanted to break down, but he couldn't. Frank took a deep breath and closed his eyes, thinking about the whole irony of the situation. He was trying to be strong for Callie, and she was trying to be strong for him. Sooner or later, Frank knew, if the news was bad, the facade would all come crashing down- it had to. He only hoped it would be Callie's facade, and that he wouldn't be the one to lose it in front of her. He opened his eyes and looked at Joe, who was studying him with intensity. _Thank God he knows_, Frank said silently to himself. _I don't think I could get through this without him. _Still, Frank hated to rely on Joe. He was the older brother, and he'd always taken care of Joe. That wasn't about to start to change now.

He forced himself to give Joe a smile, saying, "Joe, man, I'm here. You're making me nervous staring at me like that. Do I have something wrong with me?"

Joe sighed, having missed yet another opportunity to get Frank to talk to him. With an equally forced smile, he responded, "Not anything more than usual "

"Thanks," Frank responded, wryly.

Joe chuckled. "That's not what I meant."

"I know."

"Well, "Joe said at last, "Do you think we should check the computer one last time before dinner? You know Dad has it set for national coverage, and we should check out any robberies that may have happened yesterday or today that were headed West."

"Sure," Frank replied, happy to have his thoughts diverted. He booted up the laptop that his dad always kept in the living room, much to his aunt's chagrin, who constantly complained about how it ruined the décor. In a few moments, Frank and Joe were looking at the computer with eyes hungry for more information.

"Oh, man…." Joe muttered under his breath. "There," he said, pointing at the screen. "That's got to be it."

Frank squinted, and saw the caption to which Joe was referring on the CNN channel. "Stupid Robbery or Stupid Thieves?" it read.

"Okay," Frank said with a sigh. "Let's see what this one is about."

Frank and Joe read the article, which indicated that another heist had taken place, in broad daylight. Somehow, no alarms had been activated. The car was the same, as was the license plate, and the time of the robbery was 1:00, which would fit the pattern as well. Joe's eyes grew wide as he read what was taken. "Gold bangles?!" he exclaimed, surprised. "Are these guys out of their minds or what? Who on earth would go to a jewelry store filled with probably millions of dollars of stuff, and take gold bangle bracelets?"

"That's because they don't care what they're taking, Joe," Frank replied, looking at his brother. "They're sending US a message, and they're not in it for the money. They're in it for revenge," he said, simply.

"That's a lot to risk, Frank. I mean, any robbery in the daylight…. Come on. This is crazy!" Joe said, frustrated. "It makes no sense!" He HATED being this puzzled by a case.

"Well, let's see what we do know," Frank replied calmly, ignoring Joe's outburst. He had long experienced the fact that the best way to handle Joe's impulsiveness and temper was to let it simmer on its own. Joe was like a bright fire that would rise quickly, but burn out just as fast.

"Fine!" Joe sighed. "This time it was at a town called Klarksville, in Nebraska. The jewelry store is called Owen's. It took place at 1:00- bingo!- and gold bangles, of all things, were taken. Everything else is the same, right down to the car, license plate, and general modus operandi."

Frank was silent for a moment, studying the screen. "Hey, Joe," he replied, after a few minutes, "Look at this." He pointed to a general map of the United States. "See how the progression of these events has been West? New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Missouri, and now Nebraska. What do you make of that?"

Joe's mind was blank. "I thought we already said that it's moving west."

Frank tried to be patient. "Yes, I know that, Joe. I just said that. But look at the last two states-they're a lot closer together than the former ones. I mean, that may not mean anything necessarily, but… well, maybe it does."

Joe shook his head. Frank was too much sometimes. "Yeah, well, we'd need to see where the next robbery would be before we can say if it has any significance or not, right?"

Frank was still bothered by it. "You can't go too much further west, that's all I'm saying."

"Do you want to go all the way out there and check it out?" Joe asked. He was beginning to get jet lag from all of this traveling. Plus, he had to ask what he hoped to find out there. They knew it was related just by the facts on the screen.

"Actually," Frank said slowly, "Yeah, I would. And I don't want to come home this time. I just have a hunch-that's all it is, really- that based on the pattern, the next one will be in the general area. AND, I'd like to find out what the heck is out there that we're mysteriously being summoned to."

"Um, okay, I guess," Joe responded, hesitantly. He ignored the phone that was ringing upstairs, presuming his aunt would get it. Sure enough, it soon stopped ringing. "Well," he said, a smile beginning to form, "Maybe if Vanessa is available I can take her, too. We may not be getting answers, but I am having a good time spending all this quality time with my girlfriend!"

"Do you really want her out there, if there's danger?" Frank pushed.

"There won't be any danger. There hasn't been thus far," Joe countered. There was no way he'd be leaving for who knew how long without Vanessa, if he could help it.

Frank was about to reply when he heard his mother call into the room. "Boys, dinner is ready! Frank, before you come, Callie is on the phone. She says she needs to talk to you. Just ask her to make it quick, okay? You can call her later."

Frank's face drained of color as he met Joe's eyes. "Go ahead," Joe said softly, tilting his head in the direction of the phone. "I'll be right here."

"I'd prefer to get this one alone, for now," Frank replied uneasily.

"Okay, then," Joe said. He looked closely at his brother before leaving the room. "I'm right here. Remember what I told you before-everything will be okay." He left the room.

With trembling hands, Frank thought, _I hope so_, as he picked up the receiver…..


	18. Chapter 18

T_hanks to those of you who continue to review. It's nice to see people reading the story! Some of your questions will be answered here—the chapter is a little intense. Thanks again for the feedback!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 18

Joe waited nervously at the entrance to the kitchen for his brother to get off the phone. He couldn't help but to think that this very phone call could change Frank and Callie's lives forever. He ignored the bustling of Aunt Gertrude by the oven telling him that he should hurry up, and of his parents, who were busy setting the kitchen table. He was amazed at how normal everything seemed, with his family blissfully unaware of what was going on in Frank's life. He could only pray that life would continue to be normal for all of them.

In moments, Frank entered the dining room, adjacent to the kitchen. The look on his face said it all. Joe sucked in a sharp breath and followed his brother, who was hurrying outside. He ignored the puzzled looks from his parents.

"Frank!" Joe shouted, right before his brother was getting into his car. "Wait! Hold on a minute!"

Frank, hesitantly, took a moment to look at his brother, his eyes burning with unshed tears. Joe, looking at Frank, felt his own eyes begin to fill. "Oh, Frank…." he managed, before his voice trailed off. He began to understand to the severity of this very moment, and it began to overwhelm him.

Much to his surprise, it was Frank who reached out to him, and quickly rubbed his shoulder. "Hang in there, Joe. I've got to go," he said, quietly.

Joe could only nod, as he watched his brother get into the car, back up the driveway, and speed off in the direction of Callie's house. Slowly, he rubbed his forehead, trying to erase the stricken look on Frank's face from his mind. It wasn't working.

In record time, Frank arrived at Callie's house, his heart pounding in his chest. Those simple words, _I have cancer_, echoed through his mind over and over again. Strangely, he heard the words, but he couldn't fully process them; not yet. As he stood at Callie's door, he wiped away the tears from his eyes, and he was frightened that they seemed to keep coming, no matter what he did. He took a shaky breath and sat down on Callie's porch, where they had spent so many nights together, and tried to collect his thoughts and to get himself together. The memories came flooding back to him as he looked at the simple surroundings that he knew would never look quite the same to him again. At once, he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, as, for the first time, he recognized innocence lost, in a way he never could have imagined when he was living through innocence, itself. Covering his mouth, he closed his eyes for a moment and prayed silently, _Please, God, just let me be strong for her._

At once, he heard the door open and he turned around. There was Callie, looking no different from when he saw her last. Only, unlike last time, she didn't have the optimistic demeanor she normally so bravely wore. Then again, she wasn't crying, either.

"Hey," she said softly to him, with a small smile.

Frank stared at her incredulously for a moment. She was smiling! How could she smile when Frank couldn't even force one at this very moment? At once, he stood up, and walked over to Callie, taking her in his arms. He didn't think he'd ever held her so tightly. Callie just reached up and gently stroked his hair, in a gesture of comfort.

"Come on," she said, after a while, "Let's go inside. My parents aren't here. They're visiting my aunt." She paused, and met his eyes, trying to stay calm. She was shocked by the look of utter horror in Frank's eyes, and she felt uneasy. Frank had always been the one to keep her grounded; now, she had to hold him together. "They're coming home, of course, now that I called them, but they won't be home until tomorrow morning, early," she continued. Holding onto his hand, she led him into her living room, and they sat down on the couch.

"Well," Frank managed to choke out when they were inside, "What did you find out?" He heard his own voice trembling, and he immediately stopped talking. Not crying had never been so difficult in his life.

Callie fought back the lump in her throat. She longed to throw herself into Frank's arms and to sob about how unfair this was. Part of her was still in denial; she couldn't really fathom the thought that here, at 18 years old, she had cancer. A transient thought entered her mind about the times she had cried over an argument with Frank, or a disagreement with friends, or general disappointments. And now, when she was literally fighting for her life, she couldn't cry. _She could die_. The thought was too big, too utterly overwhelming for her. So, she found herself gathering strength the only was she could-- by giving it to others.

She managed to smile for Frank, and watched as the emotions in his face seemed to calm a bit. She realized that for the first time, Frank was being reactive instead of proactive. If she remained calm, she hoped he would, too. She couldn't handle seeing her boyfriend in so much pain.

"Honey," she began, gently. "The doctor told me that the needle biopsy came back positive for cancer. Kind of ironic, huh? _Positive_ for cancer. I'd think they'd phrase it 'negative' for cancer." She looked at the floor, as Frank remained silent.

Finally, she looked up again, and went on. "They're continuing to do tests to determine what kind of cancer it specifically is, and what stage it's developed to. That means… you know..." Callie began to choke on her words, and she felt Frank's hand on her back as she looked the other way, "how serious it is."

She took a deep breath, and faced him again. She struggled with the next words.

"Obviously, it's some sort of brain tumor, and I'm going to need to go in for surgery late next week. They've already scheduled it. I guess the good news is that it is operable." She smiled bravely at him. "I'll need blood tests and more CAT scans, and then they'll determine if I need radiation or chemotherapy…" Suddenly, the impact of what Callie was saying actually hit her, and she choked back a sob. Covering her face with her hand, she walked across the living room and looked out the open window, trying to regain some semblance of control.

Frank felt something inside him snap as he watched Callie and listened to her words. At once, he felt like he was someone outside his own body, watching disaster happen but unable to do anything to prevent it. "No," he said forcefully, standing up, too. "No. There must be some mistake. You've got to get a second opinion."

Callie, hearing the change in tone of Frank's voice, turned around in surprise. She stood, shocked. She was in Frank's presence, but she suddenly realized that Frank wasn't fully there. She had no idea what to do. "F… Frank?" she managed.

"It's a mistake!" Frank shouted. Callie stood dumbstruck. Frank never raised his voice.

She tried to calm him. "No, no it's not," she said, staring at him. "It's okay, Frank. It's going to be okay."

"No!" Frank shouted again, grabbing a magazine he saw on a nearby couch and throwing it. He wanted to throw something else, to tear at something, to take out his own fury on something that couldn't fight back. Not seeing anything else, he literally began to see in red.

"It's not fair! It's not right! Not… not YOU, Callie. Anyone, anything else but YOU!" He punched the wall, furious.

Callie began shaking. In all their years together, she had never, ever seen Frank lose his composure, much less his sanity, which it looked to her like he was doing. Strangely, as horrifying as seeing Frank unravel was, she began to feel a small sense of empowerment. She had no control over the cancer, but she did have control over helping Frank, and she was going to try.

"Frank! Stop it!" she cried, and came up behind him, wrapping her arms around him from behind. She felt him shaking with anger, and tried to calm him. Resting her head on his shoulder, she continued. "Frank, you have to calm down. There's nothing you can do. Just… just be here for me, okay? I need you to be here."

Frank heard Callie and felt her arms around him, but he still wasn't totally himself. In his whole life, he'd never felt out of control with his emotions. Now that he didn't have control, he had absolutely no idea what to do to regain it.

Whipping around quickly, he inadvertently pushed Callie away, and he saw her off balance for a moment. Instinctively, he reached out for her, and pulled her to him. He was overwhelmed with a desire to help her, to do anything for her that he could. At once, he tilted her head towards his and kissed her intently and forcefully.

Callie didn't know what to do. She sensed the passion and the urgency in Frank's kiss, and part of her wanted to give into it, to forget her worries and to allow Frank to comfort her and to take away her pain. The other part of her somehow felt that this wasn't Frank she was with, and his touch, which she was so familiar with and generally longed for, wasn't his at all.

Her hesitation gave Frank the wrong impression. He held her tighter and kissed her more intently, pushing her back onto the couch. At once, she felt Frank's body pressing against hers as he continued to touch her. She was literally pressed down beneath him. "Frank, Frank… stop! Stop it!" she gasped. "You're hurting me!"

Then, as suddenly and urgently as it had begun, it stopped. Callie's words registered somewhere in the back of Frank's mind, and he felt common sense and control snap back into him as quickly as it left him. Shaking his head, he looked down at Callie's terrified face and he jumped back from her.

Staring down at her, he felt his heart stop. What had he been doing? Her words echoed in his mind-_you're hurting me_. Frozen, he stared at Callie and saw the fear in her eyes. In all their years together, she had looked at him with a lot of emotions--love, passion, anger, sadness--but never, ever with fear. He sank down in the couch on the other side of the room and, all at once, started to cry, shoulders wracking with sobs. He suddenly didn't know himself anymore, and now he feared Callie wouldn't know him, either.

Frank lost track of time, but very soon, he felt Callie's arm around him. He managed to stop crying, and felt a mixture of fear, anger, and shame that he'd never experienced before. He couldn't meet her eyes.

Callie leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Frank, look at me," she said, softly.

Swallowing his pride, Frank met her eyes, at a total loss for words. Still, he had to try. "Callie, I… I'm so sorry. I… I'd never hurt you, ever. I should be here for you. I…" he couldn't finish.

"I know that," she said, as she took his hand. "And I know that you will be here for me, no matter what. You've never let me down before, and I know you won't now, either." All fear forgotten, she looked at Frank, who looked so devastated to have lost control. There, in front of her, was the man she loved, the one who would do anything for her. Touching his cheek, she moved in, and kissed him softly.

Frank, unsure of what to do, didn't move.

"I love you, Frank," Callie said softly to him. "Tonight… let's just forget about it, okay? Late next week, I'll really need you. Right now, we have each other, and we have to make the most of that."

Frank exhaled slowly, realizing again how wonderful Callie was. With hesitation, he gently wrapped an arm around her waist. Callie covered his hand with her own one.

"I'm so sorry," he said to her, now in control again. He made a mental note to never lose control like that again, and wondered, for an instant, if that was how Joe led his life--dictated by emotions. Frank had never felt such highs and lows, and he developed a new respect, then and there, for his impetuous brother.

"Don't be," she replied. "And now, feel free to tell Joe or whomever about what's going on. I think we'll all need each other's support."

Frank sighed, and smiled gently at Callie. "He knows, Callie. He overheard me talking to you on the phone. I just asked him not to say anything." He waited for her backlash, but there was none.

"Oh. Well, at least that's one less person you have to talk to," she replied with a small smile. "How's your case going?"

Frank stared, stunned. "Are you kidding me?" he managed. "After all this, you want to think about a… a case?"

"Why not?" Callie asked, matter- of- factly.

"Because…. Because…." Frank couldn't even answer her---it was so obvious.

"Because why? Come on, distract me," she said, "and move over while you're at it." With that, Callie snuggled into Frank' arms and felt comforted when she felt his arms encircle her and hold her. She closed her eyes.

Frank, still holding back tears, began. "Okay, then…" and, for the next twenty minutes or so, filled her in on everything.

"Mmmm…" she murmured when he finished, and opened one eye to look at him. "So you're going to Nebraska tomorrow, huh?" she asked.

"No way!" Frank replied. "Not with you … sick…" His voice trailed off.

"Fine," Callie replied, closing her eyes and resting her head against his chest. "Then I'll go with you!"

"What?" Frank asked, aghast. She felt his heart rhythm change, and smiled softly to herself. "No, you're not!"

"Yes, Frank, I am," she continued, determined, as exhaustion began to take over her. "Look, I have a little over a week until surgery. I'm not going to sit around here and feel sorry for myself. Like I told you before-you only live once, so you might as well make the most of it. Don't even think about arguing with me, because you won't win. That's it. Period. End of point."

"Oh, Callie," Frank sighed, and pulled her closer to him. "What am I going to do with you?"

Callie smiled as she drifted off to sleep with Frank holding her. "Just stay with me, Frank, and make my troubles melt away. That's all I ask."

Frank, overwhelmed by the evening's events, kissed Callie gently as he watched her sleep. "That's the least I can do, baby," he whispered.

He knew that his life was about to change forever.


	19. Chapter 19

_Thank you all a million times for taking the time to leave some reviews and feedback. I have read your kind comments and they are very much appreciated. I have put up two chapters this evening. Enjoy!-- Cheryl_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 19

Frank, Joe, Vanessa, and Callie, Iola, and Chet arrived in Nebraska the next evening. Iola and Chet had offered to go to help out the Hardys now that school was out. Joe had agreed to that, and he now found himself wondering why on earth he had. Nervously, he kept glancing back at Iola, who was doing a relatively good job at ignoring him. Sooner or later, Joe knew, he'd have to confess to Vanessa about what had transpired between him and Iola- he just hoped it wouldn't be sooner than he was prepared for. He also knew that he should speak to Iola as well; although they couldn't be together, he didn't want to hurt her, and he really didn't understand why she was acting so strangely towards him.

At dinner that night, Joe took a few moments to sit back and observe his surroundings, for once, rather than participating in them. _We'd look normal to most other people_, he thought to himself. _If only they knew._ He watched as Iola and Vanessa acted completely nicely towards each other, but Joe could sense that Vanessa was a bit uneasy and Iola was a bit angry. Callie chatted pleasantly with both girls and Frank, but Joe could see the stress in her pretty face, and he felt horrible, knowing the news. He needed to speak with her. Frank was listening politely, as always, but Joe saw how he constantly had one eye on Callie or an arm around her. Chet was the only one who really was normal, as he munched happily away on prime ribs.

After dinner, Frank suggested that they all go upstairs to the boys' room to take a look at the case thus far. The more minds that were working on it, the better, he had said, quietly. Chet happily agreed, and headed upstairs with Iola. Vanessa followed behind.

Joe glanced at his brother, whom he'd unfortunately not been able to talk to since the previous night. He knew that it wasn't the right time now, either. "Frank?" Joe questioned him. "Go ahead upstairs I'll be with you in a few minutes."

Frank bit his lip, and replied, "I… um… well, I'm waiting for Callie. She's in the ladies room. I don't think she'll be long."

With a gentle smile, Joe prodded his brother in the direction that Chet and the girls had just gone. "Go ahead," he said. "I'll wait for Callie. Really, Frank. She'll be okay."

With momentary hesitation, Frank fought off his doubt. "Well, okay," he said, slowly. "I'll be waiting for her … and you… before we do anything."

"Get some chips and soda!" Joe joked.

"Okay," Frank replied, flatly, as he headed away from the table. Joe sighed. He couldn't really blame Frank for not finding things funny, but he wished Frank would see that his life wasn't totally over. In minutes, Callie emerged from the bathroom and Joe watched her face change in surprise when she didn't see anyone at the table. With a small wave, Joe signaled to her. Seeing him, she headed over.

"Where'd everyone go?" she questioned him.

"Upstairs, to review the facts from the case," Joe answered her. "Look, Callie, can I talk to you for a second?" he asked her.

Callie took a deep breath. She really didn't want to fall apart right now; it was too hard to keep fighting simply to stay normal. Still, as she met Joe's eyes, she gave a small nod.

Draping an arm around her shoulders, Joe led Callie outside the restaurant, to the beautiful night air under the canopy of stars. He wanted to say so much to her, to ask her what she intended to do, but somehow, as he looked at her, he realized that it might not be appropriate. For someone who was pregnant, she looked thin and frail. Nothing made sense.

"How ya doing, Callie?" he asked her. It was all he could think of at the moment.

"Okay," she whispered. Joe stared at her. She looked so sad. Instinctively, he pulled her to him for a hug. She felt so small and fragile in his arms. He realized in that moment how much stress she must be under, and how Frank's reaction was not the only problem that Joe should have been worried about. In a few minutes, she pulled away.

"Thanks," she said, softly. Looking up, she met his eyes. "Frank told me that you know about everything. Thanks for not saying anything to me until I found out for sure. I don't think I could have handled it."

"Sure," he replied, feeling very bad for her. "How are you… handling... everything?"

"Oh, as best as can be expected," she said, with a small laugh. Joe had to admit-- Callie had guts. He'd never realized that about her before.

"Oh, Callie," Joe sighed, as he leaned against the fence and looked up into the sky. "This really stinks."

Callie laughed. "That's an understatement," she replied. It was so hard for Callie to keep her composure, but Joe always had a way with words. Somehow, he was managing to distract her from her own problems without even trying.

"Yeah," Joe replied, finally turning to look at her. "I guess it is." He gave her a small smile. He waited a few moments, and then continued. "Well, you look good. I mean, no one would ever guess."

"Thanks," Callie replied. "At least, not yet. Pretty soon, it'll be too clear. Some people have already guessed," she finished, thinking about her weight loss and the possible side effects of chemotherapy.

"Well, there are ways of hiding it, I guess," Joe said, thinking of how girls often dressed in baggy clothes. Callie, thinking that Joe meant a wig, felt her eyes brim with tears but fought them off. Joe suddenly realized what Callie was implying.

"So, you're going to go through with it?" he asked, knowing the answer.

Callie shot him a puzzled glance. "I really don't have a choice, Joe. It's either that or die."

Joe fought back the anger he was beginning to feel. Callie had already made up her mind without even asking Frank. He tried to remember that Callie was in pain, too; he just wished she would give it more thought. He chose his words carefully. "Don't be melodramatic, Callie. I know it seems that you don't have a choice, but you really do. You have to consider your options. I mean, have you considered how this is going to affect your life? And what about Frank? Are you really ready for this and all the responsibility it takes? What about college? It's kind of selfish to expect everyone to change their lives to accommodate you. I mean, it's your decision, and I'll back you no matter what you decide-just think of how everyone's life will change, not just your own." He knew his words sounded harsh, but he wanted to tell Callie how he felt. Besides, he did offer her his support, and he meant it, too. Callie's child would be Frank's as well, and he'd always stand by his brother.

He didn't expect Callie's reaction. She looked totally stung. He watched her as she took a shaky breath, and saw the tears slip down her cheeks.

"Callie…" Joe began, feeling badly. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just wanted to be honest about how I felt. Please, don't cry. You know I care about you."

Callie literally felt sick to her stomach, and she brushed away her tears_. I will not be mad_, she silently thought. But she did feel devastated--she never thought Joe wouldn't support her. "Joe," she choked out, "IF you care, you have a funny way of showing it. I don't know about college--at this point, it may not be a viable option for me. And how do you know so much about options, anyway? Until you're in my position, you can't comprehend what it's like. Of **course** I've thought about how this is going to affect my life. My God, Joe! How could I not?! No, I'm **NOT **ready. Would you be?" Finally, Callie couldn't take it any longer. She felt like she was going to start sobbing, and she knew if she started, she'd never stop. She turned away from Joe.

"Let's go inside," she said, quietly. "I won't mention our little talk. And as for Frank…" she turned around. Joe was struck silent by the utter horror in her face. "He has been a godsend, and he never makes me feel like I'm a bother to him. However, maybe you're right. Maybe I am a drain on people around me. Don't worry, Joe," she replied, bitterly. "I won't ruin Frank's life."

Callie looked utterly defeated. "Let's go." She turned around and headed inside.

Joe began to think he shouldn't have opened his mouth. He had no idea how strongly Callie would react, and he felt horrible. Slowly, he followed her inside.


	20. Chapter 20

_As promised!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 20

Back in the room, Joe found Vanessa and Iola, as well as Frank and Chet. He didn't see Callie. "Where's…" Joe began, but he was cut off by Frank.

"Callie told us that she wasn't feeling great, and she's resting. She told us she'd help if we needed her." Frank gazed directly at his brother. "She was okay when she was with you, wasn't she? I mean, nothing upset her, did it?" Frank waited for an answer. Despite Callie's words to the group, she didn't look sick to him; she looked distraught. Still, he thought Joe would only offer his support to Callie-he was sure of it-so he was perplexed about what had happened.

Joe blushed. So, Callie really hadn't said anything and had stuck to her word. "No, nothing happened," he finally muttered.

Frank stared at him a second too long, and Joe knew Frank didn't believe him. Still, Frank decided not to pursue it. "Well, then," he said, taking a deep breath. "I guess we should look at the facts of this case, again. I know Dad is working on continued interviews with Wilkins and Smith--well, their families at least--and he'll get back to us soon. Let's see what we have." He took out the notebook into which he had begun to write a few days prior.

Bayport, NY- (Yeats Jewelers) rubies were taken. That took place around 10:30. 

Radley, Pennsylvania- (Eliot's Jewelers) Amethysts were taken. That was at 11:00, I think. 

Idaria, West Virginia.-(Larkin's Jewelers) Sapphires were taken, but only a rare type called an Iolite. That was at 11:30.

"Okay," Frank began. "We can add a few more things to this list." With that, he jotted down the other robberies.

Charlestown, Missouri- (Lee's Jewelers). This time, natural pearls are taken. Time- 12:00 or 12:30. 

Klarksville, Nebraska- (Owen's Jewelers). Gold bangles are taken. The time- 12:30 or 1:00.

"So we have five robberies, and the time frame is consistent," Chet said.

Frank looked at him, surprised. Although they had already figured that out, it was a good sign that Chet could pick up on it. "They all lead away from Bayport, and we have the same guys, same car, same license plate, same method of operation," Frank said, filling the girls and Chet in on what they knew. "What we need to see is if there is more of a pattern here that we're missing. I told Joe that I had a feeling that another robbery would be in this general area, simply because the movement of the states to the robberies is getting closer. Here. Let me show you guys," Frank continued.

Booting up his computer, he pulled up a general map of the United States to show everyone the latest proximity of the crimes. He heard Iola gasp. Turning to her, he asked, "Iola? Are you okay?"

Joe groaned, audibly. Everyone turned to him. "Oh, man, I see what she sees," he said. "Frank, look at the news-flash when you pull up AOL. They've struck again! This is unbelievable!" Joe finished, angry. "I can't believe we can't catch these guys! But look, guys," he said, pointing to the screen. "Frank was right. This one took place today, earlier, in Rockland, Oklahoma. I mean, it's still two states away, but that IS closer than the distance the earlier heists took place."

Peering over Joe's shoulder, Iola read the news flash, which indicated that the same men were again following the same pattern, and again getting away with it. "Frank, add this to your list," she said.

"Go ahead," Frank said, hoping to make sense of this.

6) Rockland, Oklahoma- (Walcott's Jewelers)- Only opals are taken. Time- 1:30.

"Opals!" Joe burst out with. "These guys are crazy!!! I'm beginning to think they're just plain out of their minds, and maybe this has nothing to do with us!"

Vanessa sighed. "Joe, we've been over it. It HAS to do with you."

Joe plopped onto the bed, and put his hands over his eyes. "Uh," he groaned, again. "But it doesn't make any sense!"

Frank just shook his head at his brother, waiting for some epiphany to come to him. At that moment, Frank heard Chet say, "Hey, Cal!" and he looked up. Callie was standing in the doorway. She looked upset. Frank made a mental note to talk to her, later.

"What's up, folks?" she said with a small grin. "Any news?"

"How are you feeling?" Frank asked.

"Fine," Callie replied, nonchalantly. "Let me see what you all have. Maybe I can help."

Joe held his breath. This whole situation with Callie, Iola, and Vanessa was a time bomb waiting to go off. Still, he managed to say, avoiding her eyes, "Good luck. We haven't made much progress."

Frank watched as Callie took the list and stared at it. After a few minutes, he was about to tell her to give up when he heard her say to herself, "Hmmmm…"

"Did you find something?" Vanessa asked.

"Well," Callie began with hesitation. "I … well, it might be silly, but did you notice the names of the jewelry stores?"

They all gathered around her. "Yeah, so?" Joe asked. "They don't seem all that special to me."

Callie looked unsure of herself, and it took some gentle prodding by Vanessa and Frank before she spoke again. "It's just that… well, this year, in AP English, we studied a lot of poetry and classics. Remember, Frank? Am I crazy, or are these jewelry stores all named after authors?"

Frank's eyes grew wide. "Callie- you're right!" he exclaimed. "How did I miss that?!"

Joe, Iola, Vanessa, and Chet, all of whom were in Academic English, just stood there. "Um, I think you're on your own to explain this, guys," Chet said, sheepishly. "I couldn't tell you one author from another. I'm just glad I passed."

Joe smiled. "Me, too," he said. Iola agreed. Vanessa rolled her eyes. She loved English, but it wasn't her favorite subject. She recognized some of the names, though.

"What did they write?" Iola questioned.

"Let's look it up, and get down some of their most famous works," Callie replied.

Over the next several hours, well into the night, the teens, led by Callie and Frank, compiled a list of famous works composed by the authors.

At 2:00 a.m., Joe grumbled, "This could be nothing! I think it's a good call on the authors, Callie, and that's what we'll look for next. It should be easy enough to look up all jewelry stores in the surrounding states and narrow them down to authors. That's how we'll narrow it down and get the next target. Stop wasting time." Chet was sacked out on the bed, and Iola looked plain bored.

"Really, Joe?" Vanessa asked, wryly. "You really think that's easier-to find every jewelry store in about five or six states, and then find ones named after authors? You don't even know the authors' names!"

Joe blushed. "Neither do you!" he countered.

"Stop it!" Callie said, rubbing her forehead. Frank looked at her, concerned, but she appeared okay.

"Oh, Frank!" Callie gasped. "Look at this!" She pointed at the list.

"Yeats," Callie said. "He wrote a lot of poetry, one of his most famous being 'The Second Coming.'"

Frank swallowed hard. He saw exactly where Callie was going with this. "Joe! Guys! Look! There're messages encrypted in the names of the jewelry stores. If we can sort through all these lists, maybe we can make sense of it."

"Eliot," Callie went on. She and Frank looked at one another. "It's either "The Wasteland" or "The Hollow Men"" she finished.

"Larkin," Frank went on, scouring the list he and Callie had made. "An Arundel Tomb," or "The Explosion," he finished, growing pale. He didn't like where this was headed.

"Lee," Callie went on.

"_To Kill a Mockingbird_, the novel," Vanessa finished.

"Owen," Frank continued.

"Oh!" Callie gasped. "His most famous one was "Anthem for Doomed Youth.'" She looked fearfully at her boyfriend.

"And Walcott," Vanessa finished. "We just read him in June. He wrote a poem called 'Midsummer'."

The friends all looked at one another. Joe spoke first. "Okay," he said, clearing his throat. "The message is pretty clear-It's their second coming, our wasteland or tomb. There's some sort of explosion to come, where they're hoping to kill us, and have us as the doomed youth. Obviously, it's almost midsummer."

Vanessa started shivering. "I don't like this at all," she said, unsteadily.

"It's pretty clever, though," Callie said, awe in her voice. "The problem is finding out what will be the next strike. Maybe Joe's idea wasn't so bad. We should start tracing and getting names of jewelry stores in accompanying states. Gosh," she said, leaning back. "Who on earth would think of this?"

"Oh!" Frank said, startled, and stood up. "Shelley Butler would! Remember, he's the literature expert from Harvard."

"And the Butler family said that an old friend of Shelley's had come to pick up books, remember?" Iola added, excited.

"Oh, man!" Callie cut in. "Shelley! The name of another poet!!! He wrote things like…" Callie paused, trying to remember. ""Ode to the West Wind," "Sailing to Byzantium," and "Ozymandias," among others. Strange that he chose to take on the name of the poet, huh?"

"I wonder if that means anything," Joe asked.

"It must, I guess," Vanessa said. She, too, was getting excited.

Finally, Callie spoke up. Her voice held a soft, rational quality to it that was contrary to the growing ebullience of the others. "Guys," she said, quietly. "There's a big flaw with this theory that Butler's behind it."

"What?" Joe asked, confident that they had their man.

"He's dead."

"She's right," Frank said, reminding them of the obvious fact.

"What do we do now?" Vanessa asked after a few minutes.

"I have no idea," Frank replied. They sat in silence…


	21. Chapter 21

_I am so, so sorry about the delay in posting. Time escaped me. As a result, I will post two chapters tonight for anyone who is reading. Thanks, as always, for your wonderful feedback!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 21

The following evening, Frank and Joe sat in their room, still trying to work out the details of this case. They had sent the girls and Chet to the movies in order to relax. Although they had been incredibly helpful the previous night, the brothers agreed that they should take it easy and have some fun. After all, now that the case was closer to being solved, even a bit, Frank and Joe were both getting a bit apprehensive about the possible danger that could follow them. As a result, they were trying to keep their friends at a relative distance while they could work on some of the finer points of the case.

"Well," Frank began, as he stared at the computer screen, "Last night was something, huh? I can't believe that these guys would send us a message based on the names of jewelry stores!"

Joe lay on the bed and sighed. "I know, Frank. That was a good catch by Callie. It's also… what's the word I'm looking for?… I guess 'troubling' would be it. I mean, whoever they are, this is really serious now. They're out for us. That's why I hated telling Dad about this."

Frank turned away from the monitor, and spoke to his brother, considering Joe's words. "Yeah, I know. It IS disturbing. These guys are going to a lot of trouble to get to us. We had no choice but to tell Dad, though. I mean, let's look at the facts here. Shelley Butler, the literature expert, is dead, but someone went to his home to get books recently."

Joe nodded, and replied, "Which could explain all these allusions to poetry and novels."

"Exactly!" Frank replied with a smile, which he saw Joe return. It was nice to be working on the same team again.

"Okay," Joe went on. "Then we have Ramses, who is also dead. But, weirdly enough, someone went to HIS house and got computer disks and the gold medallion that he wore when he died, just like they got the gold medallion from Butler."

"I hadn't thought of that!" Frank exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. "So, now we have two mysterious people who took something from the homes of the other two people who were killed. In both instances, medallions were taken. Are you thinking that…"

Joe cut in, excited. He loved when he and Frank were on the same page. "Yeah! The two people who went were probably Wilkins, who knew about architecture, and Smith, who was also into computers. But…" Joe hesitated, then continued, "their families were pretty adamant about NOT seeing them, although they did swear revenge on us. So… I mean, do you think they've been in contact with their families? It's the obvious answer, but I'm not so sure."

Frank furrowed his brow in concentration, and then replied, "I know. It seems a little too obvious, huh? That's why Dad's re-interviewing the families, again. I was also thinking that since these guys are so into clues, that maybe there's some significance in the fact that, in both instances, gold medallions were taken."

Joe shrugged. "It's a possibility," he said, simply. In a moment, he went on. "Frank, we need to figure out where these guys are going to strike next, because we have to be prepared in case this is their final heist, and we're the targets. The computer is great for searching these store names in surrounding states, but it's taking forever. Let's think about this. You've been right about the locale of these most recent robberies, and I think you're also right that whatever is going to happen will be around here, somewhere. But why? What does it have to do with gold medallions, and….."

Suddenly Joe stopped. Something was in the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite place it. Whatever it was, it was on the tip of his tongue.

Frank looked at him. "Joe? Did you think of something?"

Joe shook his head and replied, "Nah. Well… kind of. I don't know. I'm not sure."

"Joe! Come on! Any guess, however far off, is better than nothing." Frank bit his lip. "And nothing is what we have right now."

Joe hesitated. He knew he often came up with the final answers to their cases, but he always had a deep- rooted fear of seeming stupid to his brother. Although Frank had never once made fun of his intelligence, and often praised him, Joe knew that sometimes people mistook his light-heartedness and silliness for stupidity. Shaking off that feeling, he decided to talk to Frank. After all, Frank had never thought he was stupid. Joe just hoped he could keep up that notion. "Um," he began, "I was just thinking that maybe this case DOES have to do with gold, gold mines, gold manufacturing, something. I mean, the medallions might be important. I would not normally think so, but these guys are masters of dropping hints."

"Hmmm…" Frank murmured. "That's a good idea, actually. While my laptop is running searches of jewelry store names, maybe we can search also look into stores or factories or something with gold. Interesting."

Joe beamed. He liked impressing Frank, plus he really did have a gut instinct about his idea. "Hopefully we can catch these guys before the next strike, " he concluded.

He noticed Frank didn't respond, and was staring at the screen again. "Frank?" he questioned.

Finally, Frank turned around, his mouth in a tight line.

"What?" Joe asked.

"Well, as we're doing the search for jewelers, guess what just popped up on the screen for AOL."

Joe groaned. "Again? Another one?" he inquired, frustrated.

"Yup," Frank replied. "Check this out. Little brother, I think you're right. This case might very well be about gold."

Joe came up behind his brother, and read over his shoulder. "Oh, man," he muttered. "Dawson, Colorado. White gold only is taken? Give me a break!!!" Joe let out an audible sigh as he read on, noting the same car, license plate, time scheme, and method as in all former cases. "What type of message are they sending us?" He slammed his hand down on the dresser.

Frank, startled, looked up at him and said, "I don't know, Joe. What's the name of the jeweler this time?"

"Dreiser's," Joe replied. "Uh oh." He rubbed his forehead. "Even I know that one. We had to read it in lit this year. He wrote _An American Tragedy_."

Frank laughed, then quickly stopped. With a self-effacing smile, he said to Joe, "Well, now I feel much better."

Joe stood up, and paced the room. He finally spoke. "How long can this go ON, Frank? How many messages are going to be sent? That's what- seven?- already! What if we just gave up on this? Would the guys come after us? They're risking an awful lot to draw us out here and commit these robberies in broad daylight!"

Frank exhaled a deep breath. "Joe?" he asked. "I honestly don't know. But, if the patterns are right, I have a feeling that we'll find out real soon."

Joe met his brother's eyes. "I have the same feeling," he said, quietly. They continued to search for clues…


	22. Chapter 22

_As promised! This is a long chapter. Hope ya like it!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 22

A few hours later, Chet and the girls returned to the hotel from the movies, smiling and laughing. As soon as they entered the Hardys' room, Joe watched the look on Frank's face change as he glanced at Callie. Joe tried to place it--and the only word that he could think of was sadness. Frank just looked sad. Joe felt terrible. Although he and Frank were getting along perfectly fine, even better than normal, he knew the pain that Frank was going through and he yearned to help him through it. At the same time, Joe realized that although he had fought with Callie, she wasn't fighting back or even being hostile. In all the years he'd known her, Callie had never backed down from anything. This whole terrible situation was tearing the strongest couple that Joe knew apart, and he couldn't stop it. It was a wonder either of them could function, much less function effectively, as they had been doing.

"Hey," Vanessa said happily to Joe, leaning over and giving him a kiss. Iola, in the background, looked away, and felt the color rise to her cheeks, determined to remain happy. If she couldn't be with Joe, so be it. She'd have to hold her feelings back--it was simply the right thing to do.

"Hey, yourself," Joe said, and gave her a quick hug. Seeing Vanessa always perked up his spirits, no matter how depressing things were around him.

"Have you made any progress on the case?" she inquired, sitting down next to him.

"Actually, we have," Joe responded, filling Vanessa in on the most recent robbery, and his theory on the fact that gold might somehow be involved. As he spoke with her, he noticed that the room became very quiet, and he realized that Callie, Frank, Chet, and Iola were all listening in, getting brought up to speed as well. When he was finished, he looked up at the faces staring in his direction and said, comically, "Th… That's all, folks!"

That seemed to break the ice, and he watched a reaction of laughs, smiles, and rolled eyes come in his direction.

"So how was the movie?" Frank asked. It was a general question, but Joe sensed it was meant for Callie.

Chet, however, answered. "Well," he began, thoughtfully, "it was okay. A little too mushy for me, though, in some parts."

Callie smiled gently. "Chet, you've always been a big romantic, you know that?" she teased him.

Chet blushed and cleared his throat. "Come on, Callie, you have to admit that the movie won't exactly be put down on the list of all time favorites, you know."

Callie laughed, and then reflected, "Actually, guys, Chet is right. I mean, that's what we need--more movie classics. You don't see things like _Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Citizen Kane, or Psycho_ anymore."

Joe snorted, and commented, "Gee, Cal, that's a weird mix of titles to put together!" As soon as he said it, he caught his breath. Those were the first real words that he'd addressed to Callie since their conversation the previous night. He mentally prepared for her response but, to his surprise, she was completely amicable.

"I guess so," she said, her brown eyes sparkling, "But this case also has weird things put together. Maybe…" she paused, and then switched her voice to a cackle and playfully wiggled her fingers in a monster-like 'I'm coming to get you' fashion, "there's a connection between my scary movies and this case. He he he haaaa…"

They all burst out laughing. "Callie Shaw, you're out of your mind!" Vanessa laughed.

"You sound like a witch!" Joe couldn't help but to add.

"That's not the first time you've said that," Callie chuckled, realizing that Joe didn't mean any offense. She was still deeply hurt about his prior comments, but she realized that life was too short to hold grudges. She couldn't afford to waste time and energy fighting anyone, and she still did care about Joe, although her heart hurt to think about what he'd said.

"Or something like it," Joe replied with a smile.

"Shut up, Joe!" Callie said, rolling her eyes, and playfully tossing a pillow in his direction. While everyone laughed, enjoying this exchange, Joe took a brief moment to meet Callie's eyes directly, and he gave her a subtle, small, and sincere smile. On impulse, he mouthed to her, "I'm sorry," silently, and he watched her face change as she fought with some internal emotions. Joe couldn't believe it as he watched her blink back tears, but she gave him a small nod and the most discreet "thumbs up" he'd ever seen. Joe felt an instant need to protect her, and he felt that although the bridge had been mended, he'd have to tread very carefully over it in the future.

Frank, glad to see his brother and girlfriend happy, felt slightly better himself. "So," he said, gently wrapping an arm around Callie's waist as he sat down next to her, "Do you all have any ideas about the case? We feel that whatever's going to happen, will probably happen soon, and we want to be prepared." As Joe listened to his brother, he couldn't help but to note how tightly he was holding onto Callie. He was reminded again of how much lay before them.

"Frank, Joe," Iola began, finally snapping out of her reverie, "Are you sure you want to pursue this? You know it'll be dangerous."

"We're sure," Joe replied, giving her a small smile. "But the more we can figure out ahead of time, the better off we'll be."

"Okay," Iola responded, giving in. "Maybe we should look again at the pattern of the cases. Let's outline everything, and see if we can't figure it out."

They all agreed, and spread out on the floor and around the beds, working on the case.

"Facts we know," Joe said out loud, and he watched as Vanessa took notes.

"First," Joe began, "There's a message in the jewelry store names. It has something to do with the following: It's their 'second coming', since Dad had the first case. It's our 'wasteland' or 'tomb'. There's some sort of 'explosion' to come, where they're hoping to kill us, and have us as the 'doomed youth'. Obviously, it's almost 'midsummer'. AND, this is an 'American tragedy'."

"Great," Vanessa replied sarcastically. "Sounds promising."

"Then," Frank continued, "We have specific times, at least three robbers, a license plate that says "Totowa", an Oldsmobile Toronado, cases that are moving west, and random jewelry that's being stolen."

"We have families that knew that you and Joe were coming, knew about the robberies when it wasn't common knowledge, and warned you about an upcoming threat. Plus, there are strange people who have taken gold medallions as well as literature books and computer disks, and a probability that this case has to do with gold, considering the last robbery as well," Callie added, speaking to Frank.

"Then," Chet continued, between mouthfuls of popcorn, "You have the obvious suspects, Wilkins and Smith; one an architecture expert and one a computer expert. Ramses and Butler are dead."

"Finally," Joe cut in, "We have all the robberies listed. Van, can you get me that notebook over there where Frank wrote everything down?"

He watched as Vanessa got the notebook from Frank, and they all peered at it.

Bayport, NY- (Yeats Jewelers) rubies were taken. That took place around 10:30. 

2) Radley, Pennsylvania- (Eliot's Jewelers) amethysts were taken. That was at 11:00, I think. 

3) Idaria, West Virginia.-(Larkin's Jewelers) Sapphires were taken, but only a rare type called an Iolite. That was at 11:30.

Charlestown, Missouri- (Lee's Jewelers). This time, natural pearls are taken. Time- 12:00 or 12:30. 

Klarksville, Nebraska- (Owen's Jewelers). Gold bangles are taken. The time- 12:30 or 1:00. 

Rockland, Oklahoma- (Walcott's Jewelers)- Only opals are taken. Time- 1:30. 

Dawson, Colorado- (Dreiser's Jewelers)- White gold. Time 2:00.

"I don't know," Frank said. "I really don't. I'm frustrated by this. Did anyone know of any big gold-like operations anywhere?" he asked, grasping at straws.

"Well, let's look it up!" Vanessa interjected. She was just as good, if not better, than Frank at computers. Joe felt fairly confident that if there was any information to be found, his brother or his girlfriend would find it.

"Take out a map while you're at it," Callie added quietly.

"Why?" Iola asked.

"Because if Frank is right, then there's a pattern to this. That means the next heist will be in this area."

Joe couldn't help but to notice how smart Callie was, and he gave her a quick squeeze on the shoulder. She was still looking at the computer with everyone else, but Joe noticed that she reached back and squeezed his hand in return. Her own hand was very cold, and Joe got worried. "Are you okay?" he asked bending down and whispering in her ear.

She just turned back and winked at him, returning quickly to the computer. Joe felt very uneasy.

"Okay," Iola announced, as Frank and Vanessa searched for information on gold. "I have the map!"

The group decided to split into three pairs to analyze the information. Frank and Vanessa searched the computer, Iola and Chet tried to analyze the map, and Joe and Callie looked over the notebook. Joe noticed that Callie was squinting and seemed to have difficulty in the direct light. He led her to a corner of the room where they sat on either side of a table. She looked like she was trying to control her breathing, and she was pale. Joe felt his heart drop a little. The stress Callie was under couldn't be good for her or the baby, and Joe was concerned.

"Are you in pain?" he asked her quietly.

To his surprise, she told him the truth. "Yes," she whispered. "But I can't do anything about it now, right? Let's look at this." Her eyes were glassy. Callie closed them for a moment. This spell had come on quietly and quickly. Still, she wanted to be useful, and shrugged off the weakness, unsettled stomach, oncoming headache, and slightly blurred vision that she was experiencing.

"Let's review this," she said. She started humming quietly to herself to stay calm as she looked at the notebook.

"WHAT are you singing?" Joe asked. He couldn't quite place the tune.

Callie blushed slightly. "Sorry, Joe. This list doesn't make sense. I was singing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'. Since I mentioned the movie, it's been stuck in my head."

"I know it," Joe relied gently, thinking about his secret passion for old movie themes and show tunes. "It is a great movie," he said offhandedly.

"Yup," Callie agreed. "You know Joe," she said slowly, fighting back nausea, "These guys are all about codes and messages and stuff. I wonder if there's any significance to the times of places, or the type of jewelry stolen. Maybe we should look at this from a cryptic hidden-message point of view."

"That's as good an angle as any," he said, impressed. He noticed again how pale she looked. "Callie, are you…?"

"Okay?" Callie looked up, and Joe saw her fighting with tears again. "No," she whispered. "Can you come to my room with me? I don't want Frank to worry," she said, nodding in his direction.

Joe took a deep breath. He helped Callie to her feet, and was grateful that everyone was so involved in his or her particular project that they barely noticed them leave the room. After taking Callie into her room, he noticed at once how she almost collapsed onto the bed, and immediately covered her eyes with shaking hands. Joe turned off the lights, after offering to stay with her, but she refused.

Going back into his room, he made some weak excuse to everyone about how Callie was tired. Deep down, Joe got a nagging feeling something was horribly wrong. He was very worried about her and the baby, and he knew he'd need to address this with Frank by tomorrow.

With a sigh, Joe looked at the list again. "Okay," he murmured to himself, "Let's look at the code angle." Reaching over, Joe made several lists.

TOWNS/ STORES /JEWELS 

1)_Bayport /Yeats/ Ruby _

_2)Radle/y Eliot/ Amethyst_

_3) Idaria/ Larkin/ Sapphire (Iolite)_

_4) Charlestown /Lee /Peals (natural)_

_5) Klarksville Owen Gold (bangles) _

_6) Rockland/ Walcott/ Opals_

_7) Dawson/ Dresier /Gold (white)_

Joe stared and stared and then he gasped so loud that everyone stopped what they were doing. "Oh my GOD!" Joe shouted. "I've got it!!!!"

"What?" Frank and Vanessa asked together, as Chet and Iola shouted, "We have it, too!"

They heard a dinging from the computer screen. Vanessa covered her mouth. "I think we have it, too!" she declared.

"Guys, mine is the most important! I swear! Look!" Joe exclaimed, waiving the paper in the air.

As they all gathered around him, Joe pointed to the list and tried to control his enthusiasm. He pointed to the list for all to see. "Okay," he said, excitedly. "Not only are the stores a code for us, which we got before, but look! The first letters spell out "YELLOWD." Then," he continued, as Frank's eyes grew wide, "the towns spell out BRICK RD. Finally, the initials of the jewelry, if you look at them specifically, spell out RAINBOW. Callie and I were just talking about The Wizard of Oz by sheer coincidence. This has to do with that!"

"I can't believe it!" Vanessa exclaimed excitedly. "That means my theory of you being led here was right. What did you do? You followed the Yellow Brick Road!"

"And yellowd is kind of in past tense, if this is the last of the robberies," Iola called out.

"Yellow," Frank replied evenly, "In literature, is also the color that represents fear, as in yellow-belly."

"This is unbelievable!" Chet exclaimed.

"What did you find out?" Joe asked Iola and Chet. Iola caught her breath. "Well, if you look at the map, the last four robberies took place in a circle." She took out the map. "Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, and Oklahoma. What state is in the middle of all that? KANSAS!"

"Oh!" Frank groaned, slapping his forehead. "I am so stupid! Of course that's right! That means the license plate, 'Totowas' isn't for the New Jersey town. Look! It says TOTO, as in the dog in the movie, WAS involved. Another clue I missed!"

Joe cut in, feeling equally duped. "Oh, man. That means the Toronado was for the tornado that took Dorothy away. Also, notice the multi-colored plate. There you have the rainbow again." 

"PLUS," Vanessa added, at last seeing the light. "That's why they started with rubies, as in the slippers."

"Oh, God," Frank said, as he remembered what had popped up on the computer. "What's at the end of the rainbow?" he groaned.

"Gold!" they all replied.

"Yup," Frank said, trying to control his voice. "And guess where the nearest GOLD landmark is? In Kansas, at the Emerald MINT, where the U.S. has one of the largest mints for gold bullion ever!"

"Like the Emerald City," Chet said, amazed. "I'd say that'd classify as the world's greatest heist!"

"The song!" Joe exclaimed, urged on by adrenaline. "Let's think about the words!" He began to say them, slowly. "Somewhere, Over the Rainbow, way up High, /there's a land that I dreamed of once in a lullaby."

"Dream equals death to some people," Frank cut in.

Joe nodded, and went on. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow, /Skies are Blue, /and the dreams that I dare to dream /really do come true."

"Oh, crap!" Vanessa exclaimed. "If we're on to this literature thing, Frank is right: yellow is associated with fear. Blue means sadness, or something bad will happen. Obviously, the dreams of these guys will come true as the blow up this place-we know they'll be an explosion from the literature clues!" Vanessa began to tremble at the implications.

"What's the refrain?" Iola asked.

Joe took a deep breath. "Someday I'll wish upon a star /and wake up where the clouds are far /behind me."

"Another reference to death," Chet chimed in. "It could also mean THEIR problems will be behind them."

"And then?" Iola went on, turning to Joe.

He sighed, and continued. "Where Troubles Melt, /like lemon drops, /way above the chimney tops, /that's where you'll find me."

"Oh!" Frank exclaimed. "Their troubles are going away. The gold is also melted to make the bars!!! The bombs- they have to be placed high-there's a clue in that! What's the end of the song, Joe?"

Joe couldn't believe this. So many hints-and they had missed them all! He finished up. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Bluebirds fly. /Birds fly over the rainbow. /Why then, oh why, can't I?"

"Funny," Vanessa replied, without a trace of humor in her voice. "Birds flying- get it? Jail birds who are now free? These guys are complicated!"

"You can say that again!" Joe agreed.

"So, like, what does all this mean?" Chet asked.

At that moment, there was a huge crashing noise as their door was suddenly and inexplicably kicked open. In burst two men, dressed all in black, their guns pointed on the five teens. Iola screamed. Chet and Frank froze. Joe shoved Vanessa behind him. All Frank could see was that both men wore huge grins under their masks.

"It means," one said, in a diabolical tone, " Uh, oh. I don't think you're in Kansas anymore!"

The second gunman laughed, and then….

They opened fire.


	23. Chapter 23

_I am so sorry for the delay in updates. I will try to post as many chapters as I can here tonight/. I don't think too many people are reading, but for those of you who are, THANK YOU!!! Eleni, I will PM you later this week. I appreciate the message! Thanks all!! _

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 23

"Ugh," Joe Hardy moaned to himself. His head throbbed, and his eyes felt heavy. Weakly, he opened his eyes, struggling to remember what had happened and where he was. He took deep breaths, trying to focus, and quickly everything came back to him. They had broken the code; the door had opened, gunshots rang out. That was the last thing he remembered.

Very slowly, Joe looked around and tried to get his bearings. Wherever he was, it wasn't in the hotel room. He quickly realized that his arms were restrained behind his back, and it took only a split second more before he realized that they were held there by handcuffs. As he tried to struggle against them, he peered at his location. The room he was in was pretty dim, and he couldn't see much. He could hear something, though. Far in the distance, there seemed to be some sort of crashing noise.

As Joe was just beginning to be fully awake, he saw a figure crumpled in the corner of the room. "Frank!" he gasped. At once, Joe stood up and made his way, shakily, to his brother, who was lying on his side.

"Frank?" Joe asked again, more loudly and with more intensity than before. "Frank! Please answer me!" He nudged his brother with his elbow in his shoulder.

After a few more minutes of prodding, Frank finally began to come around. "What the…" he managed to stammer, but then squeezed his eyes tightly shut again as pain washed over him. Weakly, he sat up and found that his hands were also held behind him with handcuffs. His shoulders ached.

"Are you okay?" Frank turned in the direction of the voice, and found himself looking into Joe's concerned eyes, despite the dim surroundings.

"Joe?" Frank croaked out. "Where are we? What happened?"

"I don't know," Joe replied, wearily, sitting back down next to his brother. "I think I remember being shot, but I don't feel like I'm dead."

"Yeah, heaven could seem a lot nicer than this," Frank sighed, beginning to focus again.

"Maybe we're in hell," Joe replied, only half-joking. Then, as if suddenly realizing it, he jumped, startled. "Frank! Where are the girls? Where's Chet?!"

As if on cue, Joe heard a rumbling in the corner, and barely managed to make out the figure crawling towards them. "I'm here," the voice said, weakly. Chet Morton came and sat besides his friends. He, too, was handcuffed.

"But where's Iola? And Vanessa?" Joe shouted, panicked.

"And Callie!" Frank added, dreading the worst.

"I dunno, but they're obviously not here!" Chet said, taking in all the information.

Joe fought back annoyance. "Thank you for that insight, Chet. I was hoping you might know where they were."

"Oh," Chet said, blankly. His head felt heavy, and it was hard to concentrate. "What happened? I felt this really sharp pain before I… blacked out, I guess. I thought I was dead."

"Yeah, me too," Frank said, grunting softly. His arms were really hurting.

"Oh, man," Joe said, sighing. "They probably hit us with dart guns or something to make us black out."

Frank tried to remain calm, even though he was having a difficult time. "Alright, guys. We've been in tough situations before. We just have to pray..." Frank gulped as he thought of his next words, "That the girls are okay, too, and that the same thing happened to them. I'm just worried that…"

Joe finished his brother's thought. "That they brought us here for something WORSE than death. I mean, if they wanted us killed, it wouldn't have been hard to do. Why are we here?"

"Where IS here?" Chet asked, straining to look around the dark and dingy room. "And what's that noise?" The three boys paused to listen to the slamming and grating noise in the not too far distance.

"I'm willing to bet," Joe began, a sinking feeling in his stomach, "that we're at the Emerald mint. I wonder what the heist will be…"

At that moment, the lights flashed on brightly, temporarily blinding the boys. They blinked as they saw spots in front of their eyes. By the time they were able to refocus, they saw immediately that two men were standing in front of them, dressed in black. They did not have guns. Somehow, all three boys sensed, though, that movement would not be a good idea.

"Jeremy Wilkins and Robert Smith, I presume," Frank said evenly, keeping the bitterness out of his voice. "It's been a long time coming."

The two men laughed, and looked at one another with smirks. Joe didn't like it at all.

"Ah, yes," said one. "We hope you've enjoyed your little trip. I have to say, we thought you'd be a bit quicker at picking up on all those clues we left for you. I'm sure daddy dearest would have gotten to them. Then again, it wouldn't have been half as fun watching you go on a wild goose chase looking for us."

"Where are we?" Joe demanded.

"In Emerald City," one commented sarcastically, while the other laughed.

"What do you want?" Frank asked. He wanted to try to get as much information as he possibly could before whatever was going to happen got started. Frank often found that knowledge was power.

"What do you think we want?" one man asked, meeting his eyes.

Frank noted how nondescript both men looked. With their brown hair and eyes, and medium builds, they could have fit in anywhere. He had a difficult time envisioning them in Harvard.

Joe watched Frank studying the men, and he knew exactly what Frank was thinking. _Okay_, Joe thought. _I'll go with you on this, big brother._ He cut in. "Who are you? Which one of you is the computer expert Smith, and which one is the architecture guy? What's your connection to Butler? How'd you pull this off?"

The men looked at one another and smiled contentedly. Joe didn't like it. When people were at ease, it was because they generally had a reason not to worry. "So many questions!" one man said. "But I'll entertain your notions. Shelley Butler and I were very close, almost like brothers. My friend, here- he was close to Chris Ramses. It's too bad your father wanted put them away."

Joe didn't like how they were amused more-so than angry. It didn't make sense. The other man chimed in. "True, my friend. How your father needed to poke his nose into our business. As a result, two people died." His reply was nonchalant.

Frank was as confused as Joe. WHY weren't these guys angry?! "How'd you do it?" he asked. "Come on-tell us. Obviously, you're not planning on letting us go."

One man laughed heartily, then spoke. "Ah, Frank. You're so much like your dad. I see what you're trying to do-appeal to our sense of pride, make us reveal information to you. You're almost an ivy-leaguer. You should know that we know how to play the game, too. Quite honestly, we're a little disappointed that you haven't figured this out already. You would have had potential, though, at Princeton. You're a smart one."

Frank inhaled deeply. These guys were good. Most criminals were smart-they had to be to pull things off. These guys were exceptionally bright.

"What do you want to know?" one asked, while another blonde man entered the room and sat down in the corner.

"Hey," one man nodded to him. "Want to see the show?"

"Of course," he answered. "We're all leading up to the showdown. So, here are the Hardys, live and in the flesh, and their little friend. Please,…" He paused, then smiled. "Go on."

"I shall."

Joe looked at Frank and Frank returned the glance. Chet moved closer to them.

The original man began to speak. "There's nothing you don't know when you think about it," he said simply, "except the biggest thing of all, which you've still not seen. Architecture buffs know the layout of places, right? Easy access, easy escape routes. Computer analysts can jam alarms systems, do research, lay clues. The literature part-that was just plain fun!" He smirked.

"Who went to Shelley Butler's home?" Joe asked, curious. He was intensely interested in this case, even though they might not get out alive. Still, he needed to focus on it now, and escape later.

"That would be me." One of the brown- haired men raised his hand. "I always liked it there. Got back the old medal," he said with a smile. "It really is quite significant to me-to all of us. The name itself of the medal is not. But," he said with a small chuckle, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Frank gasped, immediately recognizing the line from _Romeo and Juliet _and its significance. "Shelley Butler!" he shouted. "It can't be!"

"Ah, he catches on," Butler replied happily, and all three men clapped politely.

"You're supposed to be dead!" Chet managed.

"Small details…" he said, shrugging them off.

"Oh!" Joe exclaimed, finally recognizing the face from the picture he had initially seen. "Frank! Look! Butler has brown hair! We should have seen that sooner and recognized it from the picture." Then, it hit him, and his face paled as he turned to the other man. "Oh, God!" he sighed. "You have brown hair, too. A brown- haired man went to see that woman who lived at the Ramses' former home, remember Frank?!" He groaned, then met the eyes of the man to which he was referring. "Chris Ramses, I presume."

Frank was shocked. Joe was right- how could he have missed something as obvious as the hair color? Ramses looked at Joe approvingly. "Ah, the younger Hardy boy has potential!"

"You're supposed to be dead, too!" Chet managed again.

Butler rolled his eyes. "I take it he's not related," he replied, dryly.

"H... how did you do it?" Frank asked in awe.

"Let's see. Hmmm…" Butler said, with a smirk. "You tell me. Chris, don't you think he should tell us? I mean, remember, we are men of codes." He chuckled. "Our names are significant, oh literature boy. One of your little girlfriends told you that, right? What is it?"

Joe felt his heart skip a beat. "Where's Vanessa?" he shouted.

"Is that the brunette?" Ramses asked politely.

"The blonde," Joe said through gritted teeth. "One of the two. Where's the brunette, too?"

Ramses cast a puzzled look at Butler, and Frank caught it. They were unsure of something with the girls! The blonde, noting the look, nodded and left the room. What was it?

"We'll get to that later, boys. Any ideas on the names?" Ramses asked, amused. "Come now. The pretty girls caught on. You can too."

Joe fought back rage and tried to concentrate, thinking back to what Callie had told him about literature. "Shelly is the name of a poet," he began, slowly.

"Indeed."

He saw it. With a sigh, Joe continued, remembering Callie's words. "He wrote something called "Ozymandias", right? I get it- ha ha. "Oz". Very funny," Joe replied, without humor.

"Mmmm…" Butler replied. "Now who was Ozymandias?"

"Oh, no." Joe heard Frank moan. "I know who he was. He was a conqueror, also known as… get this…" he said to Joe. "Ramses, 2nd."

Joe gasped. "Then…."

"That's right!" Ramses smiled. "I am known as the "Wizard" aren't I? So now you have the Wizard of Oz! Convenient, isn't it? By coincidence, my name happened to be Ramses, and my reputation as a whiz was there. One day, Shelley and I thought of the connection while we were speaking about your father and our plan, and hey- here we are. It kind of gave us the idea for our little plot."

"Which is?" Chet warbled.

"We'll get to that," Butler said with annoyance.

"If you're alive," Frank said slowly, "Then who died? Wilkins and Smith? How'd you pull that off?" Frank was both intensely curious and utterly horrified.

"No-they're alive too, " Ramses replied, evenly.

"W… what? How?" Joe stammered.

"Prison- it's an ugly place," Butler replied more savagely than before. "Obviously, you can't manufacture bodies, and all prisoners would ultimately have to be accounted for. Sometimes, favors have to be called in, and debts owed. We knew about the prison break- we manufactured it. Sure, it took us a while, but it happened. We knew some people who were-how she we say-in an organized crime family-and finding bodies wasn't a problem, if you catch my drift."

"What?!" Frank cried. "You planted the bodies!"

"Well, who on earth would doubt it was us? There was nothing left. Leave two medals behind, feign some horror and surprise, manufacture a few 'witnesses'-really, boys, that wasn't difficult. Now," Butler replied, "Thinking of how to get back at your dad-that was much more difficult. We've got that down. Plus, we're going to be pretty rich."

"It's working out nicely, eh?" Ramses asked.

At that moment, another blonde man entered the room. He looked a little troubled, but didn't speak about that with Ramses or Butler.

"Hey, Rob," Ramses said.

"Smith," Joe muttered under his breath.

Smith looked at the boys. "I think it's time for the boys here to visit the ladies, don't you think?' he asked.

"Agreed," Butler said, and turned to leave. Before he left, he said, "I'll see you later, boys. Parting is such sweet sorrow/ I could say goodnight till it be morrow!"

"Shut up with that Shakespeare crap," Smith mumbled.

Butler laughed. "Adieu!"

The boys were picked up and pushed forward, and they continued stumbling as they fought their way through the room. All around them, they could see vaults, and see the pressing and minting machines in the distance. That's where the crashing came from, Joe thought.

What he saw next made his blood run cold. As the boys were pushed forward to their final destination, they were forced to look up. There, above their heads, stood Iola and Vanessa with Jeremy Wilkins. And they looked like they were about to be thrown unto the giant, pressing machinery.

"No," Joe whispered, as he heard them scream…


	24. Chapter 24

As promised! Another chapter!

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 24

"No, not yet."

In disbelief, Joe looked up at Jeremy Wilkins, who had muttered those words. At the same time, he couldn't help but to try and plan some way of helping Vanessa and Iola.

"What?!" Chris Ramses asked in disbelief. "Don't you think it's time for Frank and Joe to watch their girlfriends die?" He asked the second question a bit more rationally than the first, as if trying to hide his surprise at Wilkins' statement.

Frank sucked in his breath, and Joe glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. They both saw it---for some reason, the men weren't on the same page. _That could work out to be an advantage_, he thought to himself. Then, he also saw why Frank looked confused. The men had referred to Vanessa and Iola as their girlfriends. Where was Callie?!

"Listen, Chris," Wilkins began, still holding onto a terrified Vanessa and Iola, who were both struggling to remain calm. From this distance, Joe saw Iola shaking and Vanessa crying, and he began to feel his own heart break. _Not them_, he whispered to himself. _Let them come after me instead._

"What?" Ramses snapped angrily.

Wilkins smirked, and Joe began to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "We've managed to smuggle out a substantial amount of gold from here as it is. Since we have operatives on the inside, we've managed to evade the police thus far. The last thing we need is to have a messy situation on our hands here. There's a much better idea I have."

Ramses and Smith, holding onto Chet, Joe, and Frank, looked up at him.

"Go on," Smith said calmly.

Joe began to struggle against his captors, but stopped instantly once his arm was twisted painfully behind him. He winced in pain. Vanessa, watching this, cried, "No!" She was instantly pulled back against Wilkins.

"Let her go!" Joe shouted.

"Joe," Frank hissed, "Be quiet! You're not helping."

"Ah, the wise elder brother," Smith said sarcastically.

"Anyway," Wilkins cut in, a maniacal look in his eyes. "Perhaps we should go to plan B. It would be a more fitting ending, don't you think? After all, we mustn't forget that daddy needs evidence of what's been done. We are in Oz, now, remember. Anything can happen." He started to laugh.

After a few moments, Ramses began to smile, as did Smith. The girls remained immobile.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ramses spoke. "Ah, Jeremy. Plan B, I believe, is EXACTLY what should be called for. I'm sorry we didn't think of it earlier. Excellent idea, really. Ready boys?" With that, Wilkins shoved Iola and Vanessa forcefully behind him, and Smith and Ramses each shoved Frank, Joe, and Chet apart from one another. Unable to move, Frank and Joe stared at each other.

"Now!" Ramses continued. He looked into the distance at a figure that Joe could barely make out. He made a subtle nod towards him. In an instant the lights went out.

To Joe Hardy, those moments were of utter panic and confusion. He heard screaming in the distance, and felt sick to his stomach as he recognized the girls' voices. However, in the pitch dark and with his arms restrained tightly behind him, he could do nothing. "No!" he shouted, over and over again. "Leave them alone!" He heard the unmistakable grunting of Chet or his brother somewhere next to him. Never had he felt so completely confused. A fist hit his face and caused him to see stars as he grimaced in pain. With no way to swing back, all he could try to do was to turn the other way.

And then, as quickly as it had come, it was over. The lights flicked on as he heard the voices of the men shouting. Weakly, he looked up, and gasped.

Somehow, someway, Callie Shaw had appeared out of nowhere. Then, Joe saw him-Shelley Butler was holding onto her tightly from behind. She looked terrified. Chet Morton was lying on the ground, apparently unconscious, and Ramses was standing behind Frank, who had blood streaming from his forehead and from the side of his mouth. He looked like he was struggling to focus. Horrified, Joe finally saw Vanessa, crouched down next to Smith. Iola was nowhere in sight.

With a tight smile, Butler met Joe's eyes. "Now, Mr. Hardy, you have a serious decision to make.""

"Where's Iola?!" Joe shouted. He tried to implore Frank to help him as he struggled, but Frank still appeared in pain, and out of sorts, as he stared at Callie in horror.

"We really have very little time, Joe," Butler said evenly as he tightened his grip on Callie. Joe watched Callie struggle to breathe as Butler squeezed her waist with one arm and her throat with the other. She started coughing as she struggled, but the more she resisted, the tighter his hold became. She started turning blue, unable to make any noise.

"Leave her alone!" Joe begged. "Leave her alone! She didn't do anything; neither did Vanessa and Iola. You want Frank and I, and…"

"Shut up!" Butler hissed. The other men remained, ready to strike. Callie looked like she was about to collapse. "I said you have an important decision to make."

"What?" Joe choked out.

"Who do you want to die with?"

"What?" Joe cried.

"Callie, Iola, or Vanessa?" Ramses picked up on the conversation. The ease with which he asked the question made Joe sick. "Unless you decide, Callie here will die now."

"No," Joe whispered.

"Oh, yes," Smith smiled.

Callie moaned in pain as she began to lose consciousness. Frank, beginning to come around, managed to get out, "Callie!"

"Quiet!" Smith barked, and brought his hand across Frank's ear, causing him to hear buzzing and reel back in pain.

"Frank!" Joe called out, unable to watch his brother in pain.

Frank was hit in the face again, causing him to see double. As he felt himself begin to pass out, he caught one last glimpse of his girlfriend. "Baby…" he managed. He slipped into darkness.

Joe heard it, and gasped. The baby! Oh, God! If Callie died, she'd also lose the baby. As it was, he didn't know how Callie had held up to this point. He had no idea how Callie could keep a healthy child as she was being squeezed so tightly.

"So, Joe," Smith added menacingly. "Do you want to save Callie over there or Vanessa over here? You'll die together with one. The fate of the other will be unimaginable, and you'll never know what becomes of her. Ready?" He cocked a gun at Vanessa's temple. Joe watched her lips tremble.

"You have 10 seconds." Ramses added.

Joe looked at Vanessa, his eyes filling with tears.

"8 seconds."

Joe glanced over at Callie, who was nearly unconscious and a ghastly shade of bluish- white.

"6 seconds."

Looking at Vanessa, she met his eyes, and, surprisingly, gave him a small nod. "The baby," she mouthed, tears streaming down her face.

"4 seconds."

Joe looked at Callie, who was now immobile on the floor. He suddenly knew what he had to do.

" 3 seconds."

Joe turned to Vanessa, and mouthed "I love you," trembling worse than he had in his life.

"2 seconds."

"I know," she mouthed back. "Love you."

"One second, Mr. Hardy."

He heard the gun cock.

"Stop! Stop it! I … I know who I should die with." Joe choked on his on words.

Butler smiled. "Your decision?"

Tears streaming down Joe's face, he could think only of saving two lives versus one. Maybe if he was with her, somehow he could protect that fragile balance and save her.

"Callie," he whispered. "Put me with Callie"

He saw Vanessa nod slightly in agreement and in terror as she was pulled violently away from Joe's sight…


	25. Chapter 25

_Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback. It's very much appreciated. Here's an update (Two chapters) for tonight!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 25

Joe opened his eyes slowly some time later. As soon as he did, the memories of what had occurred came rushing back to him, causing him to squeeze his eyes tightly shut to block out the pain. _Vanessa- how could he leave her to die? What type of person was he?_ These thoughts flittered across his mind as he struggled to make sense of what was happening.

Again, he slowly opened his eyes, and was surprised to see that the handcuffs which were once on him had been removed. He stretched his arms out in front of him and noticed the deep red indentations where the handcuffs had dug into his skin. Although his body was aching, he was immeasurably glad to be free.

Looking around slowly, though, any momentary relief that Joe felt quickly left. He couldn't say for certain, but he was fairly sure he was in a vault of some kind. Although the room was brightly lit, there were no windows. Shelving stood empty. He could only imagine what lay in store for him.

As Joe weakly stood up, he was again overwhelmed by his decision. Where was Vanessa? Had he really just given up the girl he loved so easily? Where was Frank? Was he okay? The last time Joe had seen his brother, he looked like he had been beaten pretty badly. Then there was Chet, and Iola. And what about…

"Callie!" Joe gasped, remembering at the moment _WHY _he had made the particular decision he had. Looking over, he saw Callie lying crumpled in a corner, struggling to sit up. She was trembling badly.

Joe rushed over to her side, and kneeled down next to her. Gently, he caught her arms, and watched as she inadvertently flinched, not quite aware of what was going on.

"N…no," she mumbled, writhing to get free of Joe's arms.

"Callie! Cal, it's me. You're okay. Shh." Joe tightened his grip on Callie, and he could feel her shaking.

Finally Callie calmed down, seeming to snap back to reality. "Joe?" she whispered, looking up at him.

Nodding, he hugged her tightly, trying to ignore the deep bruises to her neck that were all too obvious. "Can you breathe okay?" he asked her, softly.

Callie slowly let go and weakly nodded. "I… I think so," she said meekly. However, as she tried to sit up, a burning sensation ripped through her side, and she moaned, grabbing onto her left side. "Ow," she whimpered softly, leaning against Joe for support.

"What is it? Are you okay?" Joe asked, concerned.

"Yeah," she managed. "Just probably some bruised ribs. That guy was squeezing me really tightly." She shuddered at the memory, and Joe squeezed her hand for support.

"I know," was all he could manage, the same image haunting him.

"W… where's Frank? And the others? What happened?" Callie was still trying to get her bearings.

Joe sighed, feeling the tightness in his chest return as he thought of Vanessa. Slowly, he filled Callie in on what he could remember, and watched her eyes grow wide in terror.

"W… why, Joe? Why did you pick me? I don't understand." Slowly she tried to stand up, but found herself soon doubled over in pain, clutching her side again. "Oh, man," she gasped, trying to fight back the pain, "I think I'm losing it."

Joe grabbed Callie, and pulled her down again next to him, seeing how pale she was. He tried not to panic, though he felt his heart beating wildly in his chest. "Oh, Callie," he managed to get out, "You might not be losing it. Please try to hang in there. You can't lose it, Cal. That's why I chose you. Lie down."

Callie looked at Joe, perplexed. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she managed, weakly. Despite her pain and the terrible predicament they were in, Joe was acting strangely, even for him.

"Don't try to talk," Joe said quietly to her, unable to fathom the thought that Callie might lose the baby after all of this. He gave her a quick squeeze on the shoulder. "Look. We're in some sort of vault. We have to get out of here. Because in vaults…" He paused, not sure of how much he should tell Callie.

"In vaults," she finished for him, "You very quickly run out of air. I know."

The calmness in her voice surprised him. Turning to him, he noticed the resolve on her pretty face, despite her pain and what she'd just been through. "You may also notice that there's a video camera facing us, next to the television screen," she added, nodding in the direction of it. Sure enough, as Joe looked into the upper corner of the vault, he saw it. He was surprised that Callie would notice that.

"Okay. Good call," he said.

"Joe," she said to him, leaning back against the wall. "I wasn't here when you were. I left and went to bed the night you were taken, remember? When I woke up, you were all gone. I saw the notepaper, map, and computer, and since I had suggested that you look for hidden messages, it wasn't hard for me to figure out the clues. Who… are these guys, though?"

Joe filled her in on what she had missed, and found himself yet again developing a new respect for Callie. She was a lot smarter and had a lot more courage than he'd ever realized. "How'd you end up here, then?" he finished.

Callie sighed, the pain subsiding a bit. "I discovered the clues, and called your dad immediately. I was about to call the local police when I was hit from behind. That's the last thing I remember. I must have come some distance, as you did. After all, we're in Kansas now."

"You called dad?" Joe asked, excited.

Callie smiled softly. "Yeah. He said he'd contact the people who need to know immediately. I think we're going to be found, Joe. Everything should be okay." She gave him a small wink.

"Callie, you're the best!" he exclaimed happily, impulsively hugging her. He pulled back at once when he heard her cry out in pain, clutching her side. He saw her eyes fill with tears.

"Oh, Callie, I'm sorry!" Joe exclaimed. "Try to hang in there, and I'll get you to a hospital as soon as I can."

Callie wiped back the tears that had instantly sprung to her eyes, and sat back, slowly. "I don't need a hospital," she replied. "Trust me—I've seen enough of those." She smiled weakly.

Looking around, and realizing that they really had nowhere to go, Joe finally relaxed for a moment. "Yeah," he said to her, still eyeing the room for an escape route in case the air began to leave the vault. "I've heard." Trying to push back thoughts of Vanessa and Frank, as well as Iola and Chet, he asked Callie, "So- when's the big day?"

Callie met his eyes. "Um, I'm not sure what you mean."

"Yes, you are," Joe replied. "You'll make it there, I promise. We'll get you out of here."

"What?" Callie asked. "You mean surgery? That's next week."

Now Joe stared at her. "Surgery?!" he asked. "What do you need surgery for? Is there something wrong this early?"

"Huh?" Callie stammered. "The surgery will determine how early – or late- or what stage it's developed to."

"Well what stage could it have developed to?" Joe asked, totally confused. "It's only like a month or two, right?"

"What is? It could be recent, but it could have been going on for a long time. That's what I'm praying isn't the case. Maybe, then, I'll be okay."

"Callie," Joe said, "How on earth could you not know when it happened?"

Weakly, Callie stood up. Something was very wrong here. Joe stood beside her, matching her puzzled look with his own.

Dreading the answer, Callie decided to ask. "Joe, what are you TALKING about?"

Frustrated, Joe blurted out, "The BABY, Callie. What else would I be talking about?"

Callie looked at him blankly. "What baby?"

Joe sighed, not knowing why Callie was playing games. "The one you're pregnant with, Cal. My brother's. The same baby we've been talking about since graduation."

Callie started to laugh, slowly at first. Then, it grew, until she was roaring with laughter, at the same time clutching at her side, in obvious pain. Joe stared at her, not knowing what to do.

"What's so funny?!" he finally asked, outraged. "It's because of you that I let Vanessa be carried off with those…. Monsters…" His voice trailed off. He couldn't believe Callie had the nerve to laugh at a time like this.

When he looked at her again, he froze. Callie's laughter had turned into sobbing, as she buried her face in her hands. Joe noticed that she was shaking again, worse than before.

"Callie," he said unsure of himself. "Are you out of your mind? What's going on? What's the matter?"

Callie looked up at him, tears still in her eyes. "You chose to save me over Vanessa because of… because you thought I was pregnant?" she managed.

"You mean you're…" Joe couldn't finish.

"Joe," Callie finished, weak from exhaustion and pain. "That is the sweetest and most kind thing I've ever heard in my life. Thank you." She looked at the floor, and wiped tears from her eyes. "But no, honey. I'm not pregnant."

"B… but…" Joe stammered, unable to speak.

"Why? How did you get THAT idea?" Callie weakly asked.

"I heard Frank!"

"Frank thinks I'm pregnant?" Callie asked incredulously. "That's impossible! No, he doesn't!"

"W... What about the engagement? He was planning on buying a ring for you! That's why he was in the jewelry store that day!"

Callie stared at Joe, her soft brown eyes wide in confusion. "Oh, Joe," she responded. "There must be some sort of mix-up. Frank and I aren't getting married!" Her mind flashed back to a conversation she had with Frank in June, where he had been telling her he got her a really special present that he wanted to give her before college. That must be what Joe was talking about! Looking up at Joe, Callie continued. "Joe, I love your brother—very much. But I wouldn't _MARRY _him- not now. He wouldn't marry me, either. We're both too young. Maybe one day… but that might not happen anyway." Callie tried to shake off thoughts of her uncertain future.

Joe felt his face flush. "But how…"

Callie interrupted him. "Joe, you're making an awful lot of assumptions. You're assuming I would marry Frank, and he would marry me, based on a pregnancy. You're assuming that I was pregnant. You're even assuming that your brother and I are sleep…" Her voice fell as she realized what she had been about to say.

"Oh, man," Joe whispered. He looked at her. "You ARE, though. I mean, I guess. I mean… oh, I don't know. I really don't know what I know anymore."

Callie smiled softly at him. "Joe, what Frank and I do privately is our concern. I wouldn't tell you, even if you did ask. Frank is my very best friend, Joe. He knew all about what was happening with me, and he kept my confidence. I thought you knew. At least no one else does."

Joe blushed. Callie's eyes grew wide. "They do?! Joe Hardy, who else thinks I'm pregnant?" She was somewhere between amused and annoyed.

"Iola. and Vanessa," he answered, embarrassed. At Vanessa's name, Joe felt a tugging in his heart. "Oh, God," he said, shakily. "Then I turned Vanessa over- for no reason…."

At that moment, the screen next to the video camera flicked on. Joe and Callie looked up in horror as they saw split screen images. On one side, Frank and Chet were looking around in confusion in some sort of darkened room. Chet looked scared out of his mind, and Frank was looking around confused, still wiping blood from his face. Iola and Vanessa were on the other screen, against a wall. They were staring into a clock, which was ticking away. The caption on the screen read, "Minutes to Meltdown."

"No," Joe whispered, as Callie backed away from the screen in fear, eyes on her boyfriend. Joe could only assume that he was being watched, and taped as well. There it was – a final video farewell for their father.

Then, Joe felt it. Or didn't feel it, really. The slow hum of a ventilation shaft was no longer humming, and suddenly the sir felt a little stuffy. He realized at once what was happening.

"Callie," he said in horror, "We're running out of air."

Both fighting back dizziness, they looked around in desperation for something to save them. They saw nothing….


	26. Chapter 26

_Another chapter for ya! Enjoy!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 26

Vanessa and Iola stared up at the screen in front of them in horror, watching Frank and Chet in confusion and pain. Then, they stared at the split screen image, watching Joe and Callie fall to the floor, almost unconscious. At that point, the screen clicked off.

"No!" Vanessa screamed, while Iola turned her head away. "Oh, Iola! What are we going to do?" Vanessa asked, panicked.

Iola looked at Vanessa, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't know, Vanessa," Iola replied, honestly. "All I know is that if we could see them, then they could probably see us. That stands to reason, doesn't it?"

"I… I guess so, yeah," Vanessa answered her.

The girls had been locked in some sort of room, after having been dragged there by two of the men. At first, they hadn't had a chance to look around their surroundings; the threat that Iola was "gone" and that something "indescribable" would happen to Vanessa still hung in the air. When they finally did have a chance to look around, they only saw a small clock that read, simply, "Minutes to Meltdown." It had started at one hour, and was already down to 45 minutes.

"What on earth does that mean?" Iola asked Vanessa, pointing to the clock. "What's the meltdown? I thought we were goners when we were almost tossed into the minting machine. What could be another meltdown? I don't understand."

"Neither do I," Vanessa answered, meeting Iola's eyes.

"Maybe we should look around the room or something," Iola said nervously.

"Okay," Vanessa replied, and the two girls spent several minutes coming to the same conclusion.

Iola spoke first. "There's no way out."

"Yeah, I see that," Vanessa answered, warily.

Having nothing more that they could do at the moment, the two girls stared at each other, countless unspoken words sitting silently between them. Here they were- Joe Hardy's old life and his new one- and they both wanted to reach some sort of middle ground. Iola was afraid to talk to Vanessa about the "incident" in the cab, fearful that she would think Iola had maliciously gone against her. Vanessa was ashamed that Iola would think that Joe didn't love her as much as he had once loved Iola; after all, he had chosen to die with Callie. Then, of course, they both had the immediate concern that they could very possibly die soon. They continued to stare at each other, wordlessly.

Finally, Iola broke the silence. "Van," she said, slowly, using Vanessa's familiar nickname. "I… I just wanted to let you know that I… I saw what happened inside with you and Joe. I know you saw me there."

Vanessa felt the color rise to her cheeks. "Oh," she managed.

Iola went on, nervously. "Vanessa, I know something about _WHY _Joe chose to go with Callie, and I guess now's as good a time as any to tell you—considering we may not have much time left." She gave a shaky smile. "Vanessa, Joe loves you- very much- probably more than he ever loved me." Iola had to pause; she hadn't realized how badly actually saying those words, however true, hurt her heart. Clearing her throat, she continued. "That decision couldn't have been easy for him. But… But… well, Callie's _PREGNANT,_ Vanessa. Joe was probably thinking about saving her and the baby. It--- it wasn't that he didn't love you…" Iola's voice trailed off. This was too painful to even continue.

Vanessa's eyes grew wide. "What?!" she stammered.

"It's true," Iola whispered.

"No," Vanessa responded. "I know it's true. But how did _YOU _know about it? Joe swore me to secrecy!"

Iola weakly smiled. "He swore me to secrecy, too. When we all went away, he didn't want to call you and bother you, even though he was having a hard time. He needed someone to talk to, and I happened to be there. I… I told him to talk to you; I don't even think he thought that he could trust me." Iola immediately flashed back to her strained relationship with Joe, set off by his comment and their actions earlier, and felt her heart drop. "He loves _you_," she added again.

Vanessa was too surprised to be angry with Joe. As she listened to Iola, she felt a wave of compassion come over her, and she was touched by Iola's efforts. For the very first time, she realized that when Iola and Joe had broken up, Iola was still in love with Joe. She hadn't seen that until now. She wondered, involuntarily, if deep down, Joe felt the same way. Still, she couldn't hate Iola. Vanessa always had a sense of when people were lying, and Iola simply wasn't. If Joe was honest with her, and she was pretty sure he had been, then Iola must feel horribly. Nothing was worse than unrequited love. Still, Vanessa had to ask, and to say something.

"Iola," Vanessa said, taking a deep breath. "I promise not to be mad, but I need to know some things.

Through tear-filled eyes, Iola nodded. "Okay," she said, softly.

"Are you still in love with Joe?" The question was painful to ask; Vanessa knew it would be even harder to answer.

Iola looked away, unable to meet Vanessa's eyes. "Yes."

Swallowing hard, Vanessa continued. "Then WHY did you break up with him on Prom night? Or did he break up with YOU? Please, Iola."

Iola continued looking at the floor. "I broke it off with him, Vanessa, because he loves _YOU._"

Vanessa didn't know what to say.

Iola finally looked up, tears running gently down her face. Vanessa felt horrible.

"Vanessa," Iola said, suddenly knowing what she had to do, "I almost kissed Joe when we were investigating what happened. Did he tell you that?"

Vanessa, shocked, could only shake her head, "no."

Iola closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. IF they got out of this, and that was a big IF, she had only one gift left that she could give to Joe- she would protect him. Love knew no boundaries, and if she loved him, which she did, she'd sacrifice her own pride for him, even though she knew full well that he'd never find out. Vanessa made him happy- so Vanessa would be Joe's reward. Opening her eyes slowly, she said, determined, "He wanted to tell you; I know he did. I tried to kiss HIM; he… he wouldn't try to kiss me. He would never betray you like that. I'm sorry, Vanessa."

Vanessa couldn't believe her ears. Iola had done what?! Still, Joe _HAD _refused. That must mean something. After a few moments, Vanessa finally asked the only thing she knew how to. "Iola?"

"Yes?"

"It's over then? REALLY over??"

Choking back a sob, Iola nodded. "It's really over."

Suddenly her eyes grew wide. The clock read "30 minutes." It wasn't that which had caught her attention, though. "Vanessa!" she cried, standing up as she began to see smoke coming under the door. "Oh my God! It's a fire! THAT's the meltdown!!!"

She cowered back in fear, coughing.

Vanessa started coughing too, dread washing over her. There was simply nowhere to go.

"I think you were right," she said to Iola, heading to a corner of the room.

"What's that?" Iola asked, coughing again.

"It IS over."

They stared at the burning door in terror….


	27. Chapter 27

_Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews. Seriously, I appreciate them all so much. Katie—your words were so sweet, Eleni—I WILL PM you soon!!!! I am so sorry. Life has been so hectic. Nonetheless, you always make me smile, so thank you! Alicia, please forgive my own lack of reviewing. I will get back to it soon. I wish I was half the writer that you are!!! Melissa and Tifal—thanks so much! To anyone else who is reading and/ or reviewing, I hope you enjoy!_

_I will try to post another chapter tonight!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 27

Frank Hardy looked at Chet, who was standing next to him, in horror. He couldn't believe his eyes. There was some sort of split screen on the wall in front of him, and he and Chet had just witnessed Callie and Joe collapsing in some sort of vault, and Iola and Vanessa backed up against a wall, pointing to some sort of clock that read "Minutes to Meltdown." Then, inexplicably, the screen had gone blank.

"Chet!" Frank turned to his friend, fighting off panic. "Everyone is in trouble. We have to think of some way out of here!"

With that, Frank began searching the room in which they were being held. His head throbbed, and his arms ached. He didn't mind being involved in a fight, but not when the fight was unfair. He couldn't even see his aggressors in the dark, and he had been unable to fight back fairly. Looking at the screen, he could only think to himself, "Thank God Callie is safe, at least for now." The last thing he remembered, before being knocked out, was Shelley Butler, literally squeezing Callie to death. It had been the most horrific thing he had ever seen as he watched, powerless to stop it. Despite that, somehow Joe must have gotten to her and, although they were in some sort of trouble, they were at least alive. It was all Frank could hope for.

"W… where are we?" Chet asked Frank, confused. As he looked as his friend, Chet couldn't help but to notice the blood streaming from a wound on Frank's forehead. Worried, he asked him, "Frank? Are you all right?"

"Huh?" Frank questioned, looking around the old room.

"Your head- it's bleeding."

"Oh," Frank replied, and slowly raised his hand to his head. He hadn't realized that he was hurt; all he could think about was getting to Joe and Callie, not to mention Iola and Vanessa. "No, I'm fine," he said to Chet, and turned to his friend. "Listen, Chet, you saw the same thing I did on the screen. Everyone is in trouble, and that means two things. One, we have to get out of here to help them, or two…."

At that moment, the door burst open, and Jeremy Wilkins and Rob Smith came through, wearing masks. They appeared to be dressed in some sort of insulated uniform, which was puzzling to Frank. Behind them, Chet and Frank saw thick smoke in the distance, making their way through the building.

"Or two," Smith cut in, "It means you're in pretty bad trouble yourself…"

Frank and Chet stared at the men, who had guns trained on them very carefully.

"Follow us," they commanded.

Having no choice, Frank and Chet were lead outside, into the thick smoke and billowing fire…

*****

"Get up!" Joe Hardy yelled to Callie, jerking her to her feet. He tried to fight off the dizziness that was coming over him as he struggled to breathe. There had to be somewhere out of here; there simply had to be.

Weakly, Callie allowed herself to be pulled next to Joe, leaning heavily against him. She felt like her legs would give out any minute. "W… what are we going to do?" she stammered, gasping for air.

"I don't know," Joe coughed out. "But we better think of something… fast!" He looked wildly around the small vault. There was nothing. The shelves were empty, and there was no way of starting something, like a fire, that may trigger the vault door to open as a fire-safety precaution. Mind spinning, Joe tried to come up with some sort of plan to get the door open, but he had nothing he could try to jimmy it with. He felt his heart start beating quickly as each breath became more and more of a struggle.

"Joe?"

Slowly, Joe turned to the soft voice at his side. Callie was looking up at him in question. Instinctively, Joe wrapped an arm tighter around her. Callie looked like she was on the verge of collapse. Inwardly, he cringed. Part of him wanted desperately to keep her awake in case he could think of some way out. Another part of him wanted to let her pass out, and escape from this inevitable horror. At least she wouldn't be in pain as the air would be sucked from her lungs.

"Yeah, Cal?" he finally managed, the room beginning to swim slightly. He groaned, as he leaned with his other arm against the shelving for support.

Now Callie was coughing badly, but she managed to get out, "I... I think there's a way out!"

"What? Where?" By now, both he and Callie had to sit down, as weakness washed over them.

"Look- at the ceiling…" Callie motioned weakly in the direction of the ceiling at the other end of the vault.

Joe squinted, almost too weak to care. FOCUS! he said to himself, forcefully. Then, he saw what Callie had been referring to. There was a small air duct in the corner. "What about it?" he asked, and realized in horror that his words were beginning to come out slurred. He squeezed his eyes shut in concentration.

"I… I think I could get up there, and come around and open the door for you."

Joe opened his eyes wide. "Callie!" he gasped. "There's no way! Do you know how small that thing is?! PLUS, it's incredibly dangerous! You don't know what's up there. You might not be able to get out. No," he finished.

"Yes," Callie whispered, and shakily stood up, ignoring the pain in her side, the dizziness, and the struggle to breathe. "Don't argue with me, Joe. We don't have a choice. It's our only chance. I… I don't think I can make this much longer. I feel so… horrible…" Callie struggled to remain standing. She had to do this quickly, or she knew she'd chicken out.

Joe weakly stood next to her. She was right-it WAS their only chance. Still, Joe knew how dangerous it was, and how Callie could easily fall and be trapped, or suffocate, or … who knew what else? Then again, they were going to die here, anyway.

Callie leaned her head against Joe's shoulder, and Joe noticed again how pale she was, and realized that he must look very much the same way. "I can do it. Just- give me a lift up."

"It's so small…" Joe managed, fighting back tears. By letting Callie do this, it was almost certain death. If only he could have thought of something earlier!

"Well, I'm small, too," Callie managed. "Since I've been sick, I've lost even more weight than normal. Joe, come on! I can't be more than 105 pounds or something. You can manage one boost, can't you?! Please," she begged him. "We're running out of time."

Joe felt dizzy, and he couldn't focus correctly. They WERE running out of time. Something Callie said struck him, though. "Since you've been sick?" he managed. "What do you mean?"

In a moment of clarity, Callie suddenly realized that Joe had no idea about the cancer or anything; he had thought she was pregnant the whole time. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she whispered, "Never mind, Joe. Let me do this." Callie knew she would probably die going into the ventilation shaft. But… she couldn't let Joe die, too. He had a long life ahead of him; she didn't know if she had that luxury anyway. If she could save Joe, then maybe he could save the others. Callie knew she would be virtually sacrificing her life for theirs. Yet, as a sudden calm washed over her, she realized that she was okay with that. She might die anyway; why not do some final good, and save those she loved?

Joe shook his head, but walked Callie over to the duct. Before lifting her up, he met her eyes. "Callie," he whispered, "Are you sure?! It's dangerous. It almost certain …" He stopped, unable to finish his thought. They might still have a half- hour or so if they remained trapped here, but Callie could die-easily- before that time.

"I'm sure," Callie replied with a weak smile. "If something happens, tell your brother…" Callie stopped. Tell him what? Tell Frank she loved him? He knew that. How could you really express to someone how grateful you were to have him in your life, how he actually made her a better person? At once, it came to her. "Tell him-- high five." She smiled. "He'll know what it means."

Joe was puzzled, but nodded. "I will. And Callie? You'll have even less air up there than in here. You have to be very careful. As long as there's nothing to block your air, you should be okay. Hurry." With that, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and said, softly, "Good luck," fighting off his own guilt that he had been unable to get her out of this predicament in the first place.

He boosted her up, using his last bit of energy before collapsing to the floor, weakly. He looked up into the vent, and could no longer see her.

And then, something happened. Just as Joe began to feel the smallest trace of hope, he saw it-smoke, beginning to work its way in, under the vault door, somehow. Fighting off his confusion and panic, he realized exactly what Vanessa and Iola had realized only moments earlier; the building was on fire!

And that meant… Joe recoiled in horror at the thought. That meant that Callie wouldn't be able to breathe at all! Any ventilation would be shut off immediately in the hollow shafts. Callie would suffocate quickly.

Fighting off the rapidly building smoke, and the feeling that he'd pass out, Joe started calling out, "Callie! Callie! Come back!" between gasps of air.

Five minutes passed. Tears streaming down his face, Joe collapsed unto the ground, giving up for the first time in his life.

There had been no response. Callie was gone….


	28. Chapter 28

_As promised! Only two more chapters to go!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 28

Frank and Chet were led through a back part of the building by Smith and Wilkins. Frank noticed in horror that all around him, the building seemed to be on fire. Chet was gasping for air, and Frank found himself coughing violently, too, as the thick smoke made its way into his lungs. The criminals, protected by their gear and the masks, seemed to be enjoying this little display of suffering as Frank and Chet were led to some location undisclosed to them.

Finally, they arrived at a back exit, at a relative distance from the oncoming fire. They had a few minutes of a reprieve, although Frank quickly realized that wouldn't last long. Something was about to happen.

Frank and Chet were shoved to the ground and Wilkins smirked through his mask, his gun on the boys constantly the entire time. Smith, however, pulled out a small camcorder from a carry bag with him. "Now, Frank," he said slowly, training the video straight on the boys, "You're about to make the final farewell video for your father. It will be sent to him immediately. No need to thank us for informing your father about the manner in which you died. Really, it was our pleasure. We'll be sure to edit it with the footage of your girlfriends burning to death, and of your brother and … is that other blonde one your girlfriend?… it doesn't matter…. Suffocating."

Franks eyes widened in terror. NO. He hadn't been able to save anybody, even himself. He felt his eyes start to brim with tears when he thought of Joe… of Callie. Then, at once, he felt anger, unlike anything he'd experienced before, except for when Callie had given him her devastating news. No one had the right to come after his family, or his friends. If he was going to go out, he realized, he'd go out fighting.

"Where are they?!" he barked out at them, his voice hoarse from the smoke.

As Wilkins laughed, Frank felt his blood boil. "Well, Frankie boy, they're split up. You'll find their bodies eventually. Don't forget—we're very efficient and finding burned bodies."

Franks eyes flashed.

"And," Smith continued, "We hope daddy here realizes that we have the perfect crime. Ramses and Butler are out of here; we're rich, don't you see, beyond anything we could have hoped for. There's no evidence to be left; no way to catch us. And sure—we'll get identified, but who cares? We WANT daddy to know the price he paid for meddling in our affairs. Clearly, it's not difficult for people in our position to evade the authorities." He smirked. "We just wanted to give you an opportunity to say goodbye to your family on video. Go ahead. We're waiting." He focused the camera on Frank.

Frank stared at the camera for a minute, as Chet coughed in the background. He could feel the heat of the blaze coming quickly towards him. He thought of Vanessa, and Iola. He thought of Callie, so innocent in all of this. He thought of Joe, who had died at the hands of these maniacs, and probably suffered immeasurably. Then, he thought of his father, who would receive these tapes and wouldn't be able to live with himself. And he knew what he had to do.

"Dad," he said calmly into the camera, as Smith and Wilkins laughed, secure in their plan. He realized their security was to his advantage. "I just want you to know…"

He paused.

"Go on," Smith sneered. "Hurry. We have to run soon!"

"That if we're going to die…"

"Keep going," Smith said.

"They're going with us!" With that, Frank pounced on Wilkins, using all of his energy. In the struggle, Wilkins lost the gun that he had been holding half-heartedly in his hand, not expecting an attack.

As Frank and Wilkins struggled through the smoke, which now surrounded them, Chet jumped into the action, desperate to do SOMETHING to help Frank out. He lunged at Smith, who, surprised, froze. It only took moments for Chet to pin Smith, clearly outweighing him. Chet heard gunshots in the distance, as the trigger was pulled by someone—was it Frank or was it Wilkins?

"Frank!" Chet called out to his friend. "Frank!" he pulled the mask off Smith, who had been knocked unconscious, and his breathing was made slightly more bearable. Chet looked around, anxious for Frank.

Suddenly, he saw him. Frank and Wilkins struggled over the gun. Although Frank was a much better fighter, having studied karate for years, he was at a distinct disadvantage, unable to breathe or to see clearly. They headed towards the back exit, when suddenly Wilkins shoved Frank against the door, butting his gun against Frank's head. Momentarily dazed, and coughing heavily, Frank watched in horror as Wilkins trained the gun on him and began to cock the trigger.

As he fired, the door against which Frank had been leaning swung back, and bullet flew harmlessly into the air. Wilkins stood confused as police officers ran into the building and seized him, grabbing the gun from his hand.

Frank felt himself being dragged out, and an oxygen mask being placed over his mouth as he realized he wasn't dead. Fighting off nausea and struggling to breathe, he sat up weakly and tried to get his bearings. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chet dragged off and an oxygen mask placed over his mouth as well. The building, the fire, the men—they all swam in front of Frank. Taking off his mask, he coughed violently. "What the…?"

"Take it easy, son," he heard a voice say behind him. "Breathe."

Frank turned to the voice at his side. "Dad!" he gasped, incredulously.

"I'm here son," Fenton replied, a bit more gently than before. He reached out to Frank, and hugged him tightly for a moment. "You're okay."

"But… how…" Frank rasped, his throat still aching from the smoke.

Fenton eyed all the activity around him for a moment, then turned back to his son.

As he was about to speak, he heard Wilkins rambling as he and Smith were taken to the police cruiser.

"Hardy!" he screamed at Fenton. "There's nothing! No evidence!!"

"There is," said an officer, who had been listening in, to Fenton,. "a little videotape that may say otherwise." He held up the camera to Fenton, and gave him a small wink.

Wilkins' eyes widened. He was about to be led off when he turned to Fenton, suddenly smug. "It doesn't matter—we got our revenge anyhow." With that, he was taken off in handcuffs.

Fenton sighed. In all his years in law enforcement, there were always a few exceptionally bright criminals who weren't satisfied getting away with their crimes. They were motivated by some intrinsic desire to get revenge; to want more. He had often thought of it as a death wish. More often than not, they were caught, and good prevailed. But, once in a while….

Shaking off the thought, he turned to Frank. "Son," he said, "I was investigating the robberies from a distance and re-interviewing the families. I was making some real progress- there were too many inconsistencies in their stories. However, I was at a bit of a standstill. Then, yesterday, I got a call from Callie, and I set everything in motion. Ramses and Butler were caught several hours ago, and despite the fact there are funds and assets allocated somewhere, at least we now have all the time in the world to find out where. It's just too bad that we couldn't get here sooner—we may have been able to save the building."

Frank gasped, and shakily stood up at once. "Frank?! Son, sit down!" Fenton commanded, standing next to his eldest son, and putting an arm around his shoulders.

Frank broke free of his father. "Dad!" he said, turning to him quickly. "Callie!!! She's still in there! And so's Joe!!!"

Fenton's face blanched. "What?!"

"Yeah, and Vanessa AND Iola, too!"

"No," Fenton whispered.

"Dad, if there's a chance they're still alive, we have to get them. Please—" Frank begged, heading back to the building.

"Let's go!" Fenton shouted, and, at once, spoke to a group of nearby police officers and firemen. He grabbed Frank's arm, preventing him from turning back.

"They… they could be alive. The smoke is horrible, and the fire is bad. But, if Joe and Callie were in a vault," he said, taking the information from Frank, "Then maybe that held the good air IN. And let's pray Iola and Vanessa found a way out."

"Could they be alive, dad?" Frank asked his father, almost pleading. The thought that they were injured, or dead, was more than he could fathom. He only had hope to get him through this nightmare.

Fenton held back tears. "As… as long as the building structurally remains in tact. Then maybe… maybe there's a chance…."

As he said that, Frank and his father watched the roof of the entire left wing of the building collapse unto itself.

"Oh, my God…" Frank whispered, as he watched his worst nightmare come true….


	29. Chapter 29

_I want to thank all of the people who took the time to review this story. I am still waiting for inspiration to dawn on me for a new story and to find the time to actually write it! Your kind words are so inspirational and I REALLY appreciate them. I am posting the final two chapters of this story here tonight and then, in a few days, I will post the last story in this series—my favorite by far, up until "Fire and Ice." It's called "Capital Pursuits. "Hope you all like it and continue to read. You're the best!!!!!_

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 29

Just as Frank and Fenton were about to give in to their grief, they saw two figures in the opposite direction of the collapsed section slowly making their way towards them. It only took Fenton a moment to recognize them.

"Vanessa! Iola!" he shouted, and immediately motioned for the available emergency personnel to rush to them and help them. Frank and Fenton followed close behind. Within moments, the girls were lying down on the ground, oxygen masks covering their faces. Other than the smoke and soot that covered their bodies, they seemed to be okay. Vanessa, however, was struggling weakly to get her mask removed, obviously trying to speak.

Frank couldn't take watching this anymore. Joe and Callie were still missing, and he had to somehow get to them, if they were even alive. Maybe Vanessa knew something. In any case, he didn't have the luxury of giving her or Iola an ample opportunity to recover. Reaching over, he helped Vanessa to remover her mask, against the stern looks of the EMT's who were watching and trying their best to help her.

"Vanessa! What is it? What's wrong?" Frank begged, eager for anything to give him the smallest glimmer of hope. Iola, sitting nearby, was nodding her head slowly in agreement to what Vanessa was apparently about to say. Both girls looked extremely confused and upset.

Looking up at Frank, Vanessa gasped, "Callie! Joe!" and burst into a fit of coughing. Fenton felt his heart begin to race, and Frank was becoming desperate.

Tilting Vanessa's face to meet his, he cupped her face in both hands and tried to calm her, fighting off his own terror. "Vanessa- what about them? Do you know something about Joe and Callie? PLEASE, Van. It's very important that you tell me what you know." Frank knew the only way to get answers was to calm Vanessa down, as much as he was struggling with that, himself.

Finally, Vanessa, after having taken a few more breaths from the mask, looked up at Frank through tear-filled eyes and tried very hard to speak. Her voice, from having been in the smoke so long, came out only as a whisper.

"Frank," she began, wiping away her tears. "Iola and me… we were trapped- some kind of room- no way out." She started coughing again.

"I know, I know," Frank said, pleading with her to go on. "I saw you. You had that clock, the one that said "Minutes to Meltdown." Then, you disappeared. How, Van? How did you get out?"

Fenton, confused, tried to listen intently, ready to spring into action.

Iola, having taken off her mask, tried to continue the story. "It was dark; smoky…" she began, coughing herself. "There didn't look like there was any way out. All of a sudden, just when we thought we were dead, part of the ceiling collapsed. Callie…" Iola took a shaky breath, almost unable to continue.

"Callie? What about Callie? Iola, PLEASE," Frank said to her, his dark eyes expressing his fear.

"She … she fell through… ceiling…" Iola managed.

"What?" Frank cried.

"Yeah," Vanessa cut in, regaining some of her composure. "Cal and Joe were in some vault, right down the hallway from US!!! Somehow, she got in through the air ventilation system and managed to get to us. She came down right outside the door of the room we were being held in, and was able to open the door for us. That's how we got out…" Vanessa's voice trailed off as the memory of what had transpired came rushing back towards her.

"She would have died if the rooms weren't so close," Iola added with a cough. "The fire and smoke spread that quickly. I don't know how she did it with her condition and all."

"You KNOW about that?" Frank asked, surprised. Then, reality hit him as he realized what he had to ask next. "Girls, WHERE is Callie now? Where's Joe?"

Iola felt dizzy as she answered. "Callie told us to get out of there. She said she'd go back and open the door for Joe. We… we thought they'd be right behind us, but the smoke—it was so thick…" Iola started to cry. "They're not behind us, Frank! They're stuck in the building!"

Vanessa was crying, too. "By the time we realized they weren't behind us, the smoke was too thick for us to turn back. Oh, Frank, I think they're still in there!"

Frank felt sick as the implications of Vanessa's words hit him. He looked up instantly, and noticed that his father wore the same stricken countenance on HIS face.

"What side of the building were you on?" he asked the girls, his voice betraying his appearance of confidence.

Weakly, Iola motioned in the direction of the building were they had come from.

In moments, it seemed, an all-out task force, complete with Fenton and Frank, set out into the rapidly burning building to search for Joe and Callie. It appeared as though at any moment the entire building would collapse as they made their way towards the vaulted area.

After almost ten minutes of searching, Frank heard the all-call for evacuation as officers were contacted via radio. "Abandon rescue! Retreat!" echoed through the airwaves. Father and son looked at each other in panic over their masks. The situation was simply too dangerous to jeopardize the lives of anyone else.

As firefighters began to retreat, several squeezed Frank and Fenton's shoulders in a gesture of sympathy as they simultaneously tried to lead them out. Horrified, Frank could only mutter silently, _no, no_, as he felt himself being led out of the building. As parts of the building began to collapse before his eyes, he and his father were roughly escorted outside.

Once there, Frank struggled to get back in, but was restrained by Fenton. "Dad! No!" he screamed as loudly as he could. However, his voice, strained by the effects of the fire, came out barely above normal speaking tones.

Finally, Frank collapsed to his knees on the ground, and buried his face in his hands. _Oh God- Joe. Callie_. _What was he going to do?!_

Through tear-filled eyes, he watched as the firefighters, emergency medical teams, and police officers passed by him, as if in a dream. There they were- heroes who had risked their own lives to save his brother and his girlfriend- unable to fulfill their final duties. He watched as the remainder of the building collapsed, and he started sobbing in shock.

As he hung his head in utter dejection and hopelessness, he heard what appeared to be frantic running somewhere next to him as scored of officers headed in the opposite direction from where they just came.

Fenton's mouth dropped as the last few officers to leave the building just moments ago were being aided by their co-workers.

Through the sirens, shouting, and his own sobbing, Frank could barely make out the next few words.

But he DID hear them.

"Help! We need help right now!" and officer cried. "We found the kids."

Frank stared in shock….


	30. Chapter 30

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 30—Conclusion

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

Frank Hardy sat in the waiting room of the hospital, checking his watch for what seemed to be the hundredth time. With a sigh, he realized it was only five minutes later than the last time he had checked it. Time seemed to be standing still.

"Frank? You okay?"

Frank turned to the voice at his side, and gave Joe a small smile. All around him in the waiting room, he was surrounded by friends and family. His own parents, Chet, Tony, Phil, Biff, Liz, Vanessa and Iola, and, of course, the Shaws, were waiting anxiously to find out the results of Callie's operation. It seemed a lifetime ago she had been diagnosed with cancer. In that time, he had almost lost her again. Nervously, he reached into his pocket and held onto his good luck charm. _She needs more than good luck_, he thought to himself. _She needs a miracle._

Sensing how worried his brother really was, Joe gently nudged him with his good arm. "Frank? Let's go to the cafeteria. Maybe get something to eat."

"I'm not hungry," he managed to get out.

"Well, let's go anyway," Joe said to Frank. "Um, I have some things I should probably tell you. Besides, sitting here worrying isn't going to make Callie better. She'd want you to take care of yourself.

Frank realized that Joe was right, and gave him a slight nod. Besides, he wanted to clear the air with Joe about a couple of things as well. Standing up beside his brother, Frank tried to ignore the huge bandage around Joe's left arm, where he had suffered burns. Although Joe hadn't complained at all, Frank could tell that his injury was causing him a considerable amount of pain. He affectionately rubbed the back of Joe's neck before telling Callie's parents where he would be in the unlikely event that they heard anything before he returned. Mrs. Shaw gave him a supportive wink and he returned her smile, hoping to give her the same encouragement. The Shaws were really among the nicest people he knew.

Then, he followed his brother down the stairs and eventually to the cafeteria, where he bought coffee for both himself and Joe.

"How are you feeling, little brother?" Frank asked Joe, concerned.

"Not too bad," Joe replied. "It could have been a lot worse than a few burns and smoke inhalation, right?"

Frank sighed. "Joe, you never complain when it's something serious, do you?" he asked with a small smile. "You're something else."

"I try," Joe replied, modestly. In perspective, what he was going through was nothing compared with Callie's life and death battle, so he didn't even think about complaining. However, he thought with an inner smile, that didn't stop him from evoking sympathy from Vanessa. He planned to milk that for all it was worth!

"So, how did you get out again?" Frank asked his brother. "I was so out of it I barely had time to process what was going on. I mean, when I thought I had lost you and Callie…" Frank had to stop as he found himself getting choked up.

Joe reached over to Frank with his good hand and gave Frank's hand a supportive squeeze. Frank, touched by the brief gesture, smiled.

"We're both here, Frank. It's all right."

"I know," he said softly back to Joe.

"Anyway," Joe continued, "To answer your question. The stupid vault was sucking out the air, and I literally couldn't breathe. Callie insisted on going through the small air duct to get out." Joe paused, as he reflected. "She's a brave girl, Frank. I… I never gave her credit for that before."

Frank fought back his emotions and the lump in his throat. "Yeah, she is," he quietly answered.

Joe continued, slowly sipping his coffee. "That's the last thing I remember. I must have blacked out. Van told me that Callie was able to slip out of the vent on the outside of their door, and to set them free. Anyway, the next thing I remembered was someone shaking me. I was choking. But—to feel AIR again, no matter how smoke-filled it was- THAT was incredible." He shrugged off the horrible memories of being trapped.

Frank nodded sympathetically. "God, Joe, I can only imagine."

Joe smiled. "Nah- it takes more than a little fire to stop Joe Hardy!" he quipped.

"Mmmm Hmmm," Frank mumbled, amused. "I know what you're going to say next, so please don't," he added affectionately.

"What?" Joe asked innocently, blue eyes sparkling mischievously. "Tell me what you think I was gonna say."

"Fire can't stop you because…" Frank began, but was cut off by Joe.

"'Cause I'm hot enough already!" he joked. "Good thing you love me, even if it's not because you appreciate my sense of humor," he added with a wink.

"I do love you, Joe," Frank said seriously, breaking the jovial mood. "That was the most horrific, awful feeling I have ever had when I thought you were gone. I…" Frank stopped, unsure of how to continue. "I don't know what else to say," he whispered.

Joe bit his lip. His goal had been to cheer Frank up, not to get him upset. He finally decided to be honest. "You don't have to say anything, big brother. I know."

Frank smiled at last.

"Anyway, Callie saved me. She came back for me and got me out of the vault. By then, though, she was so weak… and I was so tired… and I guess we both collapsed when we couldn't breathe." Joe paused, thinking of the terrible time. "Then I guess the officers saved us. I… I owe Callie everything," he concluded.

Frank looked at Joe sadly. "She's the best," he said, simply.

At once, Joe remembered what he finally had to confess to Frank. When Joe had asked Frank about Callie being sick, and he had told him about the cancer, Frank had looked stunned that Joe hadn't realized exactly what the nature of Callie's illness had been. And, although Joe had broken the news to Vanessa and Iola, and straightened out the miscommunication, he realized he should probably fess up to Frank about what had happened.

Taking a deep breath, he said to his brother, "Um, Frank? There's something that I've been meaning to tell you. It's about…um… well, the stuff I said about Callie when I didn't think she was sick with... cancer."

Frank held up his hand in a small protest. "Forget it, Joe. You thought she was sick, but not as sick as she is. I'm sure a few things were mis-communicated because of that. Don't worry about it."

"No, no, Frank," Joe said. "It goes a little deeper than that."

"Oh?" Frank questioned.

"But- um- before I tell you, I want to remind you that I'm your only brother and that I almost died, so it wouldn't be cool to kill me."

"I don't like the sound of this," Frank said, dreading what would come from Joe.

"PLUS, ah-" Joe stumbled for words. "I mean, Callie already knows about this, and she forgave me. And, um, you did say you loved me and all, so… I mean, we could look at this as a funny little situation in like- a few years."

Frank sighed. "I'm afraid to ask. Go on."

Joe figured he would start with the more innocent of the two things. "I overheard you on the phone on graduation night telling Tony that you had bought Callie a ring."

"Yeah?" Frank asked, puzzled. "That wasn't a secret, Joe. I wanted to surprise her. Tony's uncle is a jeweler, so he has good tastes in things like that. What? Did you think I wouldn't have trusted you with that info? I didn't think you would care. It's like me asking you what you bought Vanessa for Christmas or something."

_Oh, boy, did I blow that_, Joe thought with an inward groan. Clearing his throat, he came out with it. "Frank, I thought it was an engagement ring."

"What?!"? Frank asked, incredulously. "Don't you think I would have told you if I was planning on asking Callie to marry me? Geez, Joe, we're 18!"

"I know," Joe said, blushing.

Frank sighed, but gave a rueful smile. "Okay, well, that's not so bad." He got up to leave.

Joe caught his arm. "There's more. Sit down."

"Uh oh," Frank said, and met his brother's eyes. "What could be worse than that misunderstanding?"

By now, Joe was REALLY blushing. "I… well, you were saying how you had to get Callie the ring quickly, and … well, honestly, everything you said or did I took in the wrong way. I… I thought Callie was pregnant, and you were marrying her because of that."

"What?! Are you kidding me?! Callie's not pregnant!" Frank exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know. But—thinking she _was_, I sort of said some mean things to her."

"How mean?" Frank finally asked.

"Pretty bad," Joe said, cringing.

"Oh, good lord, Joe! You can't say things like that! Callie-- and I, for that matter-- have certain reputations that we really try to uphold. You could seriously hurt someone's reputation, especially a girl's- with that nonsense." It suddenly dawned on Frank what Joe must have said. "Joe, I swear, if you said anything to imply that Callie was a--a …I can't even say it, it's so far from the truth!" Finally, Frank calmed a bit. "Well, you owe her- and me- but HER especially, a big apology. At least you kept this to yourself, though," he added, trying to look for some redemption for Joe.

"Uh…" Joe stammered in reply.

Frank turned to him. "You DIDN'T?!!!" he yelled.

"Well, I mean, I told Iola, and then Vanessa. I mean, I don't THINK they told anyone else. I… I'm sorry!"

Joe watched his brother's face turn red. He looked at Frank for what seemed to be an eternity as Frank stared at him in silence. Joe started to squirm.

Finally, Frank spoke. "Joe," he said evenly. "I am shocked, I really am. What would you do if I spread rumors like that about Vanessa, huh?"

"I'm sorry," Joe said again.

Frank sighed. "Joe, I'm disappointed. Get it through that thick skull of yours that I love that girl, okay? Maybe one day I WILL marry her. I'm young- so is she- but I have thought about it. Is that so far-fetched?"

"Uh, yeah, kind of," Joe sheepishly replied.

"So this is what you're gonna do. Ready?"

"Do I have a choice?" Joe asked, hesitating.

"No."

"Okay, then."

"You will not only make a public apology to my girlfriend, you will throw her a little party to show your gratitude for saving your butt in the fire. You will get her a little consolation gift for starting the rumors, and then, since she's ill, I think you ought to wash her car for her."

"Okay," Joe managed.

"For the rest of the summer."

"Uh huh."

"Every other day. The days you have off you can wash mine."

"Frank!" Joe begged.

"That will remind you that every time you want to get someone's reputation all washed up, you better get the facts down. See that? Literal, symbolic- it's all there! Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Joe muttered. He then gave a small smile. "I guess I deserve that, huh? Are you still mad?"

At last, the sparkle came back to Frank's eyes. "No, that ought to cover it."

Joe stood up and gave his brother a hug. "Thanks."

Frank laughed. "Thanks? I should have told you to pay me fifty dollars a week, wash my car, buy me stuff for college, etc., at this rate! You got off easy!"

They began to go back upstairs. Joe smiled to himself, realizing just how much he was going to miss his big brother when he went off to Princeton in a few months. He decided, then and there, to make the most of his time with Frank now, and to just make it a point not to dwell on him going until that time came. Besides, he knew in his heart that distance could never break the bond that they had.

As they reached the floor where everyone was waiting, Joe saw Iola by the window, looking out. "Frank? Go ahead. I'll be right there. I want to talk to Iola for a second."

"Okay," Frank said with a wink, and then left.

*****

Joe walked up behind Iola, and put his arms around her. "Hey, baby," he said affectionately to her.

Iola, startled, broke free of Joe's embrace, and then relaxed. "Vanessa's over there. Wrong girl," she said with a small smile.

Joe took her hand. "No, that was for you."

Iola smiled, meeting his eyes. "What for?"

"For saving my butt with Vanessa. She told me what you tried to do for me, and how you told her that _you _tried to kiss _me_."

"Oh," Iola said, blushing. "What did you tell her?"

Joe smiled. "I told her the truth, Iola. And, sure, she was mad for a little bit, and she should be, but I believe that I have to be honest with her. She's a great girl, Iola. I really love her. I can't imagine being without her."

"That's good, Joe," Iola responded, totally sincerely. She'd had time to think things over, and she knew that she had to move on. She did honestly like Vanessa, and she knew that Vanessa was Joe's perfect compliment.

"I hope we can be friends, though, Iola. Not awkward, pass in the night acquaintances, but _real_ friends." Joe smiled at her, and squeezed her hand. "Because, you know, in different times, you were my girl, and I will ALWAYS treasure that time."

Iola felt tears in her eyes as she finally felt peace wash over her. "I will too, Joe. I'd like to be friends. I think I'm actually becoming friends with Vanessa, too, if you can believe it. This time, no hidden meanings, no repressed feelings, nothing." Iola wiped away the tears, as she watched Joe's tender smile. "You're a lovable guy, Joe, what can I say?!" she joked.

Joe hugged her tightly, and then kissed her hand. "I love you, too, Iola," he said. Reaching down, he helped Iola to her feet and slipped an arm around her shoulders as they headed back into the waiting room.

Vanessa, watching all of this at a distance, smiled when she saw Joe meet her eyes and give her a wink. Iola had deserved some finality; Joe, with Vanessa's blessing, had given it to her. Now, at last, she knew everything would be all right…

*****

When Frank returned to the waiting room, he was surprised to find some people missing. "Where are the Shaws?" he asked his mother.

Laura Hardy took her son's hand. "Sweetie, the doctor came in a few minutes ago and asked to speak with them privately. It's a family only situation, understandably." She squeezed his hand. "Let's just pray."

Frank took a deep breath, and then burst out with, "But Mom?! They didn't _say_ anything? Indicate that they knew something?" He felt panic return as he thought of Callie.

"I'm sure they know, sweetie. We just have to wait and see. Give them some privacy. Who knows when they'll return from the doctor? Callie just went through a major operation."

"Is she all right?" he asked, realizing his voice was trembling.

"I don't know, baby," she said to him.

A few tension-filled minutes later, the doctor entered the waiting room to dozens of anxious eyes. "Is there a Frank Hardy here?" he asked.

Frank stood at once. "That's me."

"Follow me. The Shaws' requested your presence."

Frank swallowed the lump in his throat as he was lead down the hallway. He couldn't remember being so nervous. At the end of the hallway, in the distance, he saw Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, who had become almost like a second family to him over the course of the last four years that he and Callie had been together. He couldn't make out their faces, but he knew he wanted to get to them, quickly.

Finally, he reached them, and he met Mrs. Shaw's eyes. "You tell him," Mr. Shaw said, giving his wife a hug. "I'll go tell the others." Turning to Frank, he patted his back. "Thanks for being here, son," he said, warmly. He disappeared down the hallway.

"Mrs. Shaw?" he asked, nervously. "What did you find out?"

She looked up at him, and Frank was struck at that moment how, at certain angles, she looked very much like his Callie.

"Honey," she began slowly. She tried to keep an expressionless face, but couldn't help herself from bursting into a huge smile. "It's stage one! That means that it's treatable, honey- the earliest that they can catch it is stage one! And…" she continued, breathless, "they were able to get most of it out in surgery. She'll have to undergo pretty intensive radiation treatments, but—thank God- no chemotherapy. And, since it's in the lower back part of her skull, she probably won't suffer major hair loss at all." Tears streamed down her face. "With the right attitude and the Grace of God, the most she'll suffer is fatigue and some vision problems. But, since they know what it is, they can treat it now. Frank, she's going to be all right!"

Frank impulsively reached down and hugged Callie's mom. "Thank God," he whispered, finally realizing that this whole time, he had been trembling badly.

Pulling away, he asked her, "Mrs. Shaw? I know it's only for family and everything, but… Can I see her for a few minutes? I know she won't be awake for a long time, but… just to see her…"

Mrs. Shaw smiled. "You're practically family, honey. Of course. Just don't wake her."

"I won't. Thank you," he added.

In the recovery room, Frank sat next to Callie's bed. Her face was pale, and her head was bandaged. There were numerous IV's attached to her. BUT- she was alive. And, to him, she was as beautiful as ever.

As Frank gently rubbed her hand, he allowed himself a few minutes to think back to the case and how close to death they had all come. He realized that through Callie's courage in the face of adversity, and her refusal to be beaten, despite the outcome, he would walk away looking at his own life from a totally different perspective. He was truly blessed to have her.

Realizing he was almost out of time, he blinked back tears and leaned over, softly kissing Callie's lips. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the good luck charm he had with him.

Somehow, as though destined to happen, much of the loot Rames and Butler had escaped with had been recovered. And, in an almost impossible circumstance, somehow, the good luck charm he held had been among that loot.

Reaching over, he placed the ruby ring on Callie's finger.

"I love you, Cal," he said softly on his way out the door. Then, on second thought, he added, "Somewhere over the Rainbow, dreams really _do_ come true…."

THE END

_Thanks again for your reviews! __ "Capital Pursuits" will be forthcoming shortly!_


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